


Love Is Stronger Than Death

by lazypadawan



Category: Post Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Cosmic Marriage, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Smut, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Bond Shenanigans, Force Dyad, I'll pay attention to whatever I want, Loss of Virginity, Mystical Mumbo Jumbo, Mythology - Freeform, Possible Lynchian weirdness, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Pregnancy, Soul Bond, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), Virginity, World Between Worlds, interdimensional sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:21:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 26,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazypadawan/pseuds/lazypadawan
Summary: After the events of TROS, Ben Solo has been visiting Rey in her dreams and leaving her signs.  She wants to know why he is not a Force ghost.  When she journeys to Mirabol and visits with a guardian of the Whills, she feels closer to Ben than ever.  Are they able to bridge worlds to finally be together?  Is death enough to separate two that are one?
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 103
Kudos: 186





	1. Prologue

_“Here come the blue skies Here comes springtime._

_When the rivers run high & the tears run dry._

_When everything that dies._

_Shall rise.”_

**Prologue**

_“Here?” Ben asked, widening his arms with an amused grin. “What, they gave it to you for free?”_

_Ben Solo, whose body faded before Rey’s eyes on Exegol months before, stood in the kitchen of what had once been the childhood home of Luke Skywalker. He still had the black sweater with the hole in it, where Rey had stabbed him with his lightsaber, the same black pants and boots. His head nearly reached the mural on the ceiling._

_“Well, close to it,” Rey said with a slight grin. She stood mere inches from him, as real as he had been in life. “I had to pay off the local Tusken Raider chief so his people would leave it be.”_

_“The Skywalker family hasn’t had the best relations with Sand People,” Ben said. “Be careful.”_

_“Things are different now from when they were fighting settlers. At least that’s what the locals told me in Anchorhead. I’ll be fine, Ben.”_

_“Of course.” He favored her with a lopsided grin. “So, do you plan to stay here? Probably luxurious compared to an AT-AT on Jakku but still…”_

_“I don’t know,” Rey confessed. “I wanted to come here as pilgrimage of sorts. And to begin my new project, telling the story of your family.To think and plan for the future. ” Looking at Ben, bringing up “future” brought tears to her eyes._

_“Rey…”_

_“It’s all right, Ben,” she sniffled. “I just miss you so much. Part of my soul went with you…”_

_“And I’m always here,” Ben said, stepping closer to her. “Maybe not in the way we’d both like but never far from you.”_

_“Were you the one who left for me the Chandrilan coin in the marketplace the other day?”_

_“Yeah, that was me.”_

_She grinned, recalling how she saw it glinting on the sandy ground, seen by no one’s eyes but hers. She had reached down, picked it up and saw it was a coin minted to commemorate the formal end of the galactic civil war, the day of Ben’s birth. “Thank you.”_

_“Of course. Remember you will never be alone. Promise me you won’t just hide yourself away forever. Go out and see the galaxy. Find happiness. Have the things in life I could not.”_

_Rey’s tears flowed now. “Oh, Ben…” she reached toward his face to caress it, his brown eyes full of love and concern._

Then she awoke with a gasp on her pallet, sunlight streaming through its open archway. Rey sat up, her blanket falling off her body.She was clad in the shirt Ben had worn when she last saw him. She had mended the hole the lightsaber wound she’d given him, then healed. 

Rey had collected his clothes and his boots, the only things she had left of him. The pants and boots remained in a chest while she had taken to wearing the shirt whenever she needed to feel closer to him. She could still smell him on the garment. She doesn’t think she could ever bring herself to wash it. She had hoped to find loose strands of his beautiful hair in his garments but alas, all traces of that were gone.

Yawning, Rey went into the fresher and washed her face before heading into the kitchen. She could still in her mind’s eye see Ben standing there, as he had been just now in her dream. It wasn’t the first time he’d appeared to her in a dream state. But their meetings were fleeting and she always woke up before she could touch him or he could touch her. 

She had wondered why he only appeared to her in dreams and not as an apparition in the Force, as his mother and uncle did.

As Rey started her caf, BB-8 rolled into the kitchen with a series of inquisitive beeps.

“I’m doing well, BB-8,” she said. “How are the moisture vaporators working?”

The little droid beeped affirmatively. “Good,” she said. She’d spent plenty of time cleaning out the old vaporators and finding the parts needed to get them working again. Her intention wasn’t to run an entire farm but just enough to produce water.

As Rey drank her caf, she perused her Jedi volumes again.Not only was she forming ideas on how to train others, she wanted to see if there was anything that might explain where Ben was.What caught her eye was a description of a jungle world called Mirabol, a place visited by a Jedi Master hundreds of years ago.The Force radiated strongly there, so much so the Master called it a “vergence.”There had been a temple dedicated to the Guardians of the Whills, another religious order devoted to the Force and the Master had encountered its acolytes.

A place vastly different from Tatooine but not terribly far.She could arrange for Chewie to come get her in the Falcon and take her there.Somehow she knew deep in her soul this is where she needed to go next.She had learned now to obey that feeling, that instinct.

“Get ready, BB-8, we’re going on another journey.”


	2. Mirabol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey visits a world strong in the Force and has a shocking experience in its rainforest.

Rey hiked alone through the thick trees and brush, her yellow lightsaber blade cutting away vines blocking the trail.Sweat and the rainforest’s humidity dampened her face and her back.Blood sucking insects buzzed around her and already she dreaded the bite bumps she was going to get on the exposed parts of her body.

The air was thick, heavy, and hot but Rey could not resist the call of the Force, beckoning her through the trail. The Force here was very powerful. It struck her from the moment the Millennium Falcon entered the planet’s atmosphere. Beneath the haze hovering over the rainforest, there was an abundance of life and energy. The entire planet was alive. It was so radically different from Tatooine. The Rey who barely made it off of Jakku just a short time ago would’ve felt overwhelmed.

Now she felt invigorated.

Two weeks have passed since Rey and BB-8 arrived on Mirabol and found an ancient sanctuary belonging to the legendary Guardians of the Whills. To her relief, a Guardian met her at the gate, a tall Twi'lek woman with pinkish skin like the orchids growing around the gate door. 

“Ah, I sensed you coming,” the woman said with a mysterious smile. “The so-called Last Jedi I heard so much about.”

“I didn’t know if there were any of you left,” Rey had said with relief. “The last record of any Guardians was from well over 33 years ago.”

“And we keep thinking the Jedi were extinct forever. I’m glad you have found us.”

“As am I,” she said with a humble bow. “It’s time the Guardians and the Jedi worked together again. We have much to learn from each other.”

“Indeed we do. Welcome, Rey. I am Shinme'i.” The woman ushered her and BB-8, beeping inquisitively, inside the sanctuary.

Over a simple meal of spiced meats, fruits, vegetables, and bread and tea, Rey met the other four Guardians of different backgrounds and ages. Somehow the Empire and the First Order had missed them in various purges. The oldest Guardian said he believed the Force of the planet itself protected them. 

The Guardians had spoken to her about the Whills, unseen entities that generated the Force and all life itself.

“Are they the same as midichlorians?” Rey had asked.

“No,” one of the younger acolytes said. “What the Jedi call the midichlorians are the means by which our bodies receive the Force and life. They are intermediaries, relaying the will of the Force to the individual. The Whills are different. When the Jedi speak of the will of the Cosmic Force, they really mean the Whills’ intentions.”

Rey had learned a great deal about listening for the voices of the Whills, hearing them communicate through all of the cells in her body.

But what she liked most of all about Mirabol was here she felt closer to Ben than she had since he passed into the Force.She truly felt his presence, almost as though she could see his tall, imposing figure out of the corner of her eye wherever she went.The dreams where he appeared were longer and more vivid.

As Rey settled into meditation atop a rock overlooking a valley, she recalled the last dream she had where Ben appeared.She walked into the cosmos, a place that seemed to be between reality and another world.Ahead a door opened in the starry sky, white light beckoning her.She stepped inside the doorway into a room that was open and airy.Ben was there, dressed in white, and he rose to his feet, smiling.

“ _Rey,” he said.“You found it.”_

_“I found what, Ben?Where is this place?”_

_“Between life and death, the physical world and the spiritual world,” he said.“I was following my mother into the netherworld of the Force when a Master all in white appeared and said your other half remains alive in the mortal world, carrying your energy.I was not yet ready for the trials to become a spirit in the Force.”_

_“Ah, that’s why you haven’t appeared.”_

_Ben nodded.“The Master also said I had soul work to do,” he said._

_“We’ve reached this place together,” she said.“As you’ve grown in the Force, so have I.”_

Rey could only think of a large opening door as her breathing slowed and her consciousness expanded so that she was one with every living thing around her. Every bird, every lizard, every leaf on every tree, the drops of rain water, the insects crawling on the ground.An unusually chilly breeze rustled around her, breaking up the heavy humid air.Then she felt a warm hand first on her cheek then on the back of her neck.“Rey,” she heard in her ear.

Rey’s eyes opened with a gasp.“Ben!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for returning to the next part of my tale. I have the entire story blocked out, so don't worry, it will have an ending. Please comment and be sure to hit the subscribe button to get your updates! I'm already working on the next part so stay tuned!
> 
> I forgot to mention in the prologue the song quote and the title of the story comes from The The's 1993 song "Love Is Stronger Than Death." I went back to it after seeing TROS.


	3. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More strange stuff happens to Rey.

Rey hiked back to the sanctuary as the skies darkened and thunder rumbled. Drops of water started to fall through the canopy of trees and she could smell the earth’s muskiness. Lightning flashed. Yet the storm couldn’t pull her thoughts from what had just happened. A thinning of the veil, a crossing of the line between this world and wherever Ben was. Another bizarre Force miracle they accomplished together. She breathed heavily, her mouth open as rain water fell upon her and soaked her. Her heart pounded in her chest. It was still hot yet her arms were covered with goosebumps. 

The journey to the sanctuary gates seemed to take longer than reaching the meditation spot but she felt like she was floating on air. She didn’t know if she wanted to scream or dance. Her foot slipped here and there on mud or wet tree roots yet she continued on as though they barely registered to her. Finally she reached the gate and let herself inside, only to face BB-8 looking at her inquisitively from the main building’s covered porch. It was now that Rey realized what a sight she was. “I got caught in the storm,” she said apologetically to the droid. “Good thing you didn’t come along or you’d be covered in mud.”

She went inside her quarters, bowing respectfully to the couple of Guardians she encountered on the way. They returned the bow, seemingly unconcerned with her soaked and muddy appearance. She removed her wet clothes, dried herself off with her bathing cloth, combed out her wet hair and let it dry loose, and put on a fresh tunic of gray and white.

She went into the dining room for evening meal, sitting at the long table with Shinme’i, the acolytes, and other Guardians. Shinme’i asked, “How was your sojourn this afternoon?”

“It was fine, until it started raining,” Rey said with a little smile. She did not want to tell anyone about Ben touching her and speaking to her but she wasn’t sure if they were able to read that she was keeping something from them. She kept her thoughts and emotions neutral, something she had to learn to do when she was around Luke or Leia. She could never fully do it with Ben.

“You aren’t used to the kind of sudden downpours we get here,” Shinme’i acknowledged. 

“She looked like a soaked loth cat when she got back,” one of the young acolytes laughed.

“It was kind of refreshing, actually,” Rey said. “It was so hot and steamy, the rain was a bit of a relief.”

“What are your plans for the night?” one of the older Guardians asked as he poured himself more tea.

“I was thinking of finding something to read in the library,” Rey said. “I find Guardian teachings and scholarship fascinating.”

“Sounds like the perfect way to pass a rainy evening,” Shinme’i said.

After the meal and more conversation, Rey retreated to the sanctuary library.There were scrolls of parchment, bound books similar to the Jedi texts, and more modern sources of information in holographic form.Rey knew instinctively that what she sought would not be among the holographic teachings.She strode toward the shelves of scrolls, reaching out with the Force to see if she could find the right one, something that might give her some answers.

She was drawn to a shelf just above her head.A fat scroll bound with red string caught her eye. _Yes, that one_.She stood on tip toe and grabbed the scroll.She cradled it in her arms and walked back to her quarters.

BB-8 waited for her like a faithful puppy.

“Hello, are you keeping me company while I read?”Rey grinned.She sat down on the floor and cautiously unrolled the scroll.The text was in an older version of aurebesh, thankfully.Threepio was with Chewie, Poe Dameron, Finn, and the rest of her friends from the Resistance.

She sighed.It had been a few months now since she’d seen any of them other than a weekly holo chat or transmissions.Poe was busy with the provisional government and overseeing clean up operations against remnants of the First Order.Finn had decided to go along with Lando Calrissian and his new friend, or whatever she was to Finn, Jannah in her search for her identity.The war was over and all were going their separate ways.

Soon she would start training students though and Finn was likely to be one of her students.Already she had been teaching him and counseling him as he discovered more of his abilities.

Missing her friends spiraled into the searing psychic pain that had been present since Ben’s death.As tears pooled in her eyes, rain pattered on the roof.The pain had been ameliorated somewhat by time, busying herself with journeys like this visit to Mirabol, and feeling Ben’s presence with her.But sometimes she felt full bore the reality she won’t hold him to her, kiss him, touch him, grow old with him.Today’s events had sent her spirit soaring but now, that magical moment emphasized how he wasn’t there.

Perhaps it would’ve been better had she not lived.

_“No, don’t say that,” she could hear him say._

_“I’m so sorry Ben.I just wish sometimes you hadn’t given away your life for me and left me alone.”_

_“It was mine to give,” his voice echoed in her head.“Life is where you belong, where you’re needed.”_

Rey wiped her tears.BB-8 beeped sympathetically though he couldn’t possibly know about her and Ben.“I”m all right,” she reassured the droid with a sniffle.

Rey tried to refocus on the scroll.It described a theory of a world between worlds, a place where time and space had no meaning.A place between life and death.Rey furrowed her brow.It sounded very much like what Ben had described in the dream.Or what she had glanced in the Jedi texts.

Hours passed and she caught herself nodding off.But she was too engrossed to just turn off the lamp and go to bed.She kept reading until she collapsed on the floor, exhausted.

As the first rays of dawn streamed through the window, she stirred awake.At first she didn’t think anything was unusual.There was a blanket over her shoulders and a pillow beneath her head.Then she remembered she hadn’t gotten into her bed.

She sat up with a gasp, eyes wide.BB-8 couldn’t have lifted her onto the bed, much less put the blanket over her.Was it one of the Guardians checking on her?But the door was locked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment and SUBSCRIBE to keep up with updates!


	4. Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's where it starts to get a little spicy! 
> 
> Rey has an interesting experience in the shower and an ancient site calls to her through the Force.

Rey entered the shower, still reeling from finding herself in her bed after she’d fallen asleep on the floor. She stood beneath the shower head, luxuriating in the water, not too hot or too cold. Water was only used for survival on Jakku and nothing more than a dampened rag was used for washing, if even that. She’d rigged a sonic shower inside her former home, which was pretty good for her circumstances but not like this. On Mirabol there was plenty of water and even that was recycled by the Guardians.

She washed her hair and cleansed her body with the natural soaps created by the Guardians. Once it was all rinsed off, a familiar male voice rumbled in her ear, like an approaching afternoon thunderstorm. _“Rey, may I touch you?”_

“Ben,” she gasped, feeling his presence around her, the familiarity of its vibration. “Was that you who put me in bed last night?”

_“Yes,”_ he said. It felt as though he was in the shower beside her.

Rey felt warm all over. “All right then, you may touch me.”

She closed her eyes and trembled as she felt a finger trace its way on her shoulder and up her neck. Then along her jawline, then gently rubbing on her earlobe. She felt his fingers over her spine, then down around the curve of her hip. She felt his palm over her belly just as on the day he healed her. Tears falling from her eyes, she instinctively reached down with her hand to touch the invisible caress but she couldn’t touch anything. She bit her lip and cursed with frustration.

_“Shh, just let me, all right?”_ he whispered.

He moved his unseen fingers up over the sensitive skin between her breasts, then to her collarbone. She felt her insides clench.

A bell tolled outside the bathroom window. “I need to be ready for practice in 20 minutes,” Rey gasped.

_“Another time then,”_ he said. Then he added roguishly, _“Wouldn’t want you to be late.”_

She smirked as she shut off the water. Of course Ben was a bit of a scoundrel. She could feel that in him.

Morning exercises and practice consisted largely of techniques designed to increase the flow of the Force into the body and to open oneself up to messages from the Whills. Since it was sunny this morning and not too hot and steamy yet, they were in an outdoor courtyard instead of inside a dojo.

At first she found it difficult to concentrate and open herself because she couldn’t get her mind off of Ben’s touch on her bare skin. She’d never let another touch her so intimately. And she had never let anyone, much less a man, see her without clothing. It was new, it was scary, and it was thrilling. But she couldn’t be thinking about him in a courtyard full of others who could sense her thoughts and emotions. So with a deep breath she reluctantly pushed it out of her mind. For now.

“I am one with the Force and the Force is with me,” she softly chanted along with the other Guardians. She flowed smoothly into the same poses as the Guardians, as though she’d been one of them for years. It was nice in many ways to find beings who believed in the Force and sensed it. But many more were finding the Force in them, people like Finn and his new friend Jannah.

Was it the same as the connection with Ben?No.

When the exercises were over and the Guardians started to split off into individual activity, something in the Force called to Rey from the distant mountains, like a bird song only she could hear.She faced the direction of the mountains, her vision focusing on a particular peak.

Shinme’i gently placed her hand on Rey’s shoulder.“That place is calling to you, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Rey said.

“It’s the site of an ancient temple, where Mirabol’s native people once worshiped the Force.It’s one of the many local sites that we protect and preserve.The Whills want you to come.They have something to show you there.”

In spite of the day’s warmth, goosebumps covered Rey’s arms.“How far is it?”

“Thirty klicks more or less.There’s a rough hewn stone staircase up to the temple but it is still a precarious climb.”

“I grew up with a lot of precarious climbing,” Rey smiled.“Tomorrow at dawn, I’ll go.”

“Very well,” Shinme’i said.“Then prepare the rest of the day for your journey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to subscribe and keep up with new chapters!


	5. Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey enters an ancient temple...and discovers another dimension!

_“The Ashuran temple was carved out of a cave. It’s a direct portal into the world of the Whills.”_

Shinme’I’s words echoed in Rey’s mind as she ascended stone steps covered with foliage and vines. Dawn was breaking over the hills and the air remained free of Mirabol’s usual stickiness. On her back was a pack with the scroll she’d pulled from the library along with food, water, and other provisions. 

She had to leave BB-8 behind, much to his beeping protests.He couldn’t make it over this terrain.Besides, this had to be something experienced alone.

Rey at last reached the gaping mouth of the cave.Her jaw dropped open with awe.The cave opening was massive, large enough to fly an X-Wing through.Monster-sized vines grew over figures and cyphers carved right into the rock.She squinted at the cyphers.She didn’t understand what the letters meant but she could feel a wave of the Force emitting from its dark entry.The energy coming from within the cave encircled her like giant fingers, closing over her body and drawing her in.For a moment, she wished she had her friends with her or even a Guardian, but instead of giving into fear, she submitted and let the energy draw her inside.

The cave temple’s darkness swallowed the daylight.Rey ignited her lightsaber, its yellow-orange glow illuminating her way.The temple was cool and damp and smelled like a bit like sulfur.She looked up and saw dagger-like stalactites above her head.Elaborate carved statues gazed upon her in the shadows.How did the ancient people of Mirabol find this an inspirational place of worship?

The energy here wasn’t all dark nor was it all light.It was a pure manifestation of the Force in balance.Rey’s breathing grew heavier, both with exertion and exultation.“Come closer, Lady Rey,” the energy seemed to be saying to her.

The lightsaber’s glow revealed an altar before her.Four steps led up to the altar, where there were four columns and a wall mural. 

The mural depicted a circle with what looked like canine-type creatures around it. There was also a diagram of three humanoid hands in circles with lines connecting them. Between the two images was script she recognized from the scroll. She reached into her pack for the scroll and unrolled it on the altar. Using the lightsaber, she could see the writing on the scroll matched with that on the wall. This must be a gateway then to the fabled World Between Worlds.

The canines started running counter clockwise around the circle, as though they were holographic images. As they ran, the circle grew bigger and Rey could see it was an entrance to somewhere dark. 

“Come, Lady Rey,” a voice whispered from the maw.

She rolled up the scroll, took up her lightsaber and entered the maw. Her heart was pounding. This could be a trap of some kind but if she could survive entering the Sith’s secret sanctum on Exegol, she could survive this. Again, she felt no evil. But she felt Ben closer than ever.

She walked across what seemed to be an endless dark valley of black rock, lightning flashing in the nighttime sky. “What do you want to show me?” she called out. “Why am I here?”

A flash of lightning revealed a floating golden orb before her. It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Puzzled, Rey walked around the orb hovering at chest level. It was three dimensional and solid. But it wasn’t a droid or some other kind of machine. Rey felt some kind of life emanating from it. 

_Follow me_ , it said. Or rather what it said in her head. It floated off into the distance, just slow enough for Rey to follow without difficulty. It reached what looked like a castle of stone, hesitating a moment, then entering its open door. Rey bit back her own fear and stepped inside.

The golden orb was now nowhere to be seen. She was now in a bed chamber, lit with a fire in a hearth. Shadows danced on an engraved orowood bed. Her feet stepped on a fine woolen rug and she took a look around at a collection of cozy chairs and pillows scattered around the room. White tapestries adorned the walls.She readied herself with a lightsaber as she felt a shift in the Force. Her gaze turned to a heavy wooden door. Something was on the other side of that door. And yet she felt Ben as though he was right there…

Time stood still when the door flew open and there appeared an impossible vision. Nearly filling the doorway was a desperate, wild-eyed Ben Solo, heaving as though with exhaustion from running up several flights of stairs. He was dressed all in white, contrasting with wild disheveled black hair. He wasn’t an image, a memory, a vision, or a dream. He was _here_. “Rey,” he moaned, looking at her with disbelief.

She gaped at him. “Ben,” she gasped. She turned off her lightsaber and stepped toward him just as he stepped toward her. He looked at her with caution as they drew closer to each other. Just as she had on Ahch-To in seemingly a lifetime ago, she reached out a shaking hand. Tears streaming from his eyes, he reached to her, his eyes widening. When their fingertips touched, Rey yelped. She felt not cold air, but flesh. Warm, living flesh. 

“Gods, I can touch you!” he cried in a trembling voice.

“Ben, you’re alive!” she shouted. She flung her arms around his shoulders as he seized her around the waist, picking her up off of the floor. She whooped with joy as he spun her around. He was living, breathing flesh. She could feel his heart beating. She felt his warm breath on her cheek. She could smell his familiar scent. 

And a moment later, she felt his hot, needy lips on her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, and subscribe for updates!
> 
> Hang tight because things are heating up soon!


	6. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben are reunited in a mysterious realm. But there are conditions...

All time and space stood still as Rey and Ben kissed hungrily, full of need. She sucked on his full lips and he nipped hers. Feeling emboldened, she slipped her tongue into his mouth and he languidly stroked it with his. She felt his hand grip the back of her neck, his other arm tightly encircling her waist. She never wanted this to end. She could just live off of his kiss forever.

But he gently withdrew, his eyes gleaming. “Where is this?” Rey asked him, stroking his cheek.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “All I know is I was in another…realm…when this portal opened before me, with stairs leading up to this chamber. I became whole again, flesh again as I climbed up the stairs to this door. How did you get here?”

“The Force called me here,” she said, unable to stop caressing his warm cheek or gazing into his eyes. “I entered an ancient temple of the Whills and a portal opened, leading me here. To you.” Emotion overwhelmed her and she smiled through tears falling down her cheek. Having Ben’s presence near her was comforting even as she mourned him. But having him in her arms—not even in a dream or vision—was a miracle. Impetuously, she kissed him, first with relief and joy, then with fiery passion. He groaned into her mouth and their tongues met again.

“Ben,” she gasped when their lips parted, “there’s so much I wanted to say to you…”

“There’s so much I wanted to tell you too,” he said, barely above a whisper. “And all that’s happened since…”

She placed a finger on his flushed, swollen lips. “The first thing I want to say is I can’t ever thank you enough or repay you for saving me.”

He shook his head. “I would do nothing less than for you, my love.”

Rey’s heart soared at hearing those words though she’d known it and felt it. “And you’re my love.I wish I’d said so sooner.”

He leaned over and touched his warm forehead to hers. For what seemed like an eternity, they held each other, reveling in each other’s presence. The Force never seemed as powerful as it did in that moment. She felt as though her heart was mended and her soul was complete. Having Ben’s presence was one thing. Having his entire being made everything in the universe seem right.

“Come with me, Ben,” Rey said. “I’ll introduce you to the Guardians and we can learn from them. Then we can go wherever to start our lives together. It doesn’t have to be Tatooine. I…”

Ben looked at her with trepidation. “I don’t know if I can leave with you,” he mumbled, his hands shaking nervously.

“Why? You’re alive…”

“Here, in this space I am. It’s…it’s hard to explain…ever since Exegol…it’s not life and it’s not really death. I can be with you in your dreams, when you’re meditating, or wherever the Force is the strongest but I don’t know about the physical world.”

“You’re just afraid, Ben,” Rey shook her head. “Don’t be.”

He sighed. “All right, we’ll see then.” He took her hand in his. For the umpteenth time she marveled at how much bigger it was than her own. As they walked out of the bedchamber back to the castle entrance, Rey could hardly contain her joy. She thought of having him finally meet her friends, being by his side as he worked to atone for all Kylo Ren had done, bringing his wisdom to a new Jedi order, and never leaving her side. She saw herself having a family with him, growing old together, having a happy life.

They reached the castle entry and Rey stepped through the threshold first. Then the golden orb that had led her to the castle materialized in front of Ben. _He cannot follow you_ , the orb said.

“He is my dyad, my husband,” Rey insisted. “You led me here to find him didn’t you? And now that I have, I’m bringing him home.”

_Master Ben Solo, extend your hand through the doorway and show Lady Rey_ , the orb said. 

His lip trembling, Ben held out his left hand through the doorway. Both he and Rey looked on in astonishment and horror when his full fleshed out hand faded to almost a ghostly essence when it passed through the threshold.

“No!” Rey cried. Ben was stricken.

_His soul work is not complete_ , the orb said. _He is not to join you in the material world_.

“Then why have us meet?” Ben demanded. “To be cruel to the both of us?”

_The Force has given you a kindness_ , the orb insisted. _How many other grieving widows and orphans throughout the universe cannot be with their loved ones any longer? Because the Force is a part of you are both and you’re a dyad, your souls can never be fully apart. Here, at this time and at this place you can even physically meet. I suggest as long as the vergence lasts you take advantage of it._

“Vergence?” Rey asked.

The currents in the Force flow into certain times and places that allow the veil between dimensions to fade or disappear. This is one of those times and this is one of those places.

Rey gazed back at Ben, their eyes meeting and everything that needed to be said and understood passed between them in a moment. She reentered the threshold and took Ben’s hand again. “As long as this lasts, let’s make the most of it,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is when things earn the "E" rating, heh heh!
> 
> Be sure to comment and hit the subscribe button to keep up with updates!


	7. Consummation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the moment we've all been waiting for...when this story earns the E rating! And it won't be the last!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took a little longer than expected. I wanted to make sure the love scene hits the right tone.

“I almost think this was set up,” Ben cracked as he carried Rey like a bride back into the chamber where they reunited. “Though I wish they’d chipped in some sparkling Chandrilan wine.”

Rey grinned. Even though she wanted what was to come, her stomach was in knots and her muscles felt taut. Her breathing was quick and shallow. It wasn’t so much she feared it as it was the realization this was a momentous step for them both. The consummation of a mystical marriage no one but they even remotely understood. 

“Don’t be afraid,” he said.“We are already one in mind and spirit.”

“I know.”

Ben set her down on the bed and he sat beside her. “You weren’t ashamed when I saw you bathing the other day.”

“There’s no reason to be,” she said, looking up into his brown eyes, noticing the gold and green in them. “And I liked it when you touched me.”

“You’re so beautiful and strong,” he said. “Every inch of you is perfect. It was an honor to see my chemise draped over your body as you sleep.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “I sleep in it to be near you, to smell you, to remember you.”

He blushed and bit down on his lip. “Passing into the Force has done nothing to lessen the desire in my heart for you, Rey.”

“And it’s done nothing to lessen mine,” she said, reaching up to pull him down to her into a deep, long kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair while he held on to the back of her neck. She felt his need pressing into her and she felt her own need dampening inside her. She broke the kiss then used a gentle Force push to lay him down on the bed. He gaped at her in shock then she leaped on top of him. 

“That’s not a proper use of the Force, Jedi girl,” he chastised mockingly.

“You’re all mine,” she said with a feral grin.

He smiled back, with both delight and disbelief. “Again at your mercy,” he said. She leaned down and kissed him, her hands lifting up his tunic from his waist. She touched his warm flesh, admiring the softness of his skin and the hardness of muscle beneath it. Ben was rubbing his own hands on her back.

“Ben, let’s love each other here, now,” she said, breaking their kiss to remove her tunic. “While we can.We’ve wasted too much time already.”

“Wait,” he said, holding up his hand. He removed his own white tunic, leaving that chest she last saw on Ahch-To exposed to her gaze. It was still as magnificent as she remembered, only with all of the scars healed. When she healed his wound on Kef Bir, she’d healed all of him. He tossed the garment aside. “Allow me to take down your hair,” he said.

She thought it was a little of an unusual request but she said, “All right.” He reached over to her ponytail and removed the band holding back her hair. It fell loose around her face, down to her shoulders. He threaded his fingers through her hair as he looked at her with admiration and for a moment, she saw herself the way he saw her: shoulder-length loose sun-kissed brown hair, parted rosy lips, a sprinkling of freckles on her nose and cheeks, wide hazel eyes, and a band around her breasts. She thought of herself as rough and scruffy but in his eyes, she was beautiful, glamorous, goddess-like. She returned her own vision of him and he blushed even as a cocky smirk tugged at his lips.

He lowered her back down on the bed, showering kisses on her exposed skin. He unwrapped the band around her breasts and whistled through his teeth when he saw her bare. “Exquisite,” he said.She took a deep breath and relaxed, letting Ben drink in the sight of her.He bit his lip and reached with his hands to touch her, gently fondling her breasts.His touch was light but she felt electric currents throughout her body.He started pinching her nipples and she moaned.He put his arms around her waist and lowered his head to suck on her, eliciting cries of pleasure she didn’t recognize was her voice.

She was cast into a storm she’d never experienced her whole life. She cried out and gasped for air, writhing beneath him. She felt warm and alive all over, her feminine core aching and damp. All she wanted was to get her pants and boots off.

“Hmm,” Ben grunted. He lifted his lips from her breast and sat up to pull off her boots, tossing them aside. 

“You just read my mind,” Rey said.

“Get used to it,” he smirked, removing her pants and underwear, casting the garments away. “You’re a dream come true,” he said, eyeing her like she was a precious jewel.“i don’t deserve you, Rey.”

“Don’t say that,” she said, slapping at him.

“It’s true,” he said.“You’re more than worth everything I gave you.”

“And you’re worth everything I’ve had to endure to be with you now,” she said.Then she gave him a wry smile. “Now, get those pants off. I want to see all of you.”

Ben removed his boots and his trousers, leaving her with an unobstructed view to his magnificence. Fair skin dotted with beauty marks, powerful legs, and a trail of dark hair leading down to a manhood already flushed and rising with his desire.

In that moment, she couldn’t stop herself. Jedi or not, he was all she wanted and nothing was going to stop her from having him. She pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top of him, eagerly exploring him. He slipped his hand between her legs and part of her wanted him to leave it there forever and part of her wanted to swat it away so she could just focus on every inch of him. She settled for letting him pleasure her while she greedily stroked his silken length. 

“I can’t believe how smooth it is,” she said, her breathing becoming heavier. She felt her cheeks get warm.

“I can’t believe how hot and wet you are,” he replied, gasping. His thumb grazed a part she’d never thought about before in her life and she yelped. He kept going until she rolled her head back, her eyes closing. It all felt so good and now he was massaging her breast. 

“Oh Ben, I don’t want to wait anymore. Let’s just do it,” she said. 

Ben stopped his ministrations. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. This is all…good…but I want this,” she said, caressing his thick manhood, now ready for her. 

“All right, but…have you done this before?”

“No. You?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he said sheepishly.

“Well, it can’t be too difficult, can it?” She at least knew the mechanics of it all. Still, positioning themselves was more complex than she figured. Finding a good angle of entry for one thing, with her on top. After a few moments of awkwardness, they were joined and while it was a strange new sensation, it also felt incredibly right. Not even death itself could stop this moment from happening, the two that are one physically joined at last. Tears fell from Ben’s eyes and they spilled down Rey’s cheeks as well.He seemed absolutely hypnotized by her. Steadying herself by placing her palms on his chest, she started gyrating her hips. “Oh!” she gasped, her eyes growing wide. Ben matched her movements and before long she was comfortably rocking on his solid body.

“Woo, this is far more fun than fighting!” she cried, grinning so hard her cheeks hurt.

“Much more fun!” he panted, returning her smile. 

She laughed then focused on him hitting her right there, in a perfect spot that made her feel amazing.Her pleasure washed over his.

“Unh, that’s it, my love. Oh, yes, so sweet and tight,” he moaned.

He slid his big hands up her thighs and cupped her buttocks. He eventually inched his hands up to her breasts. His hands felt so good on her sensitive skin.His touch radiated throughout her body.

She felt her insides flutter and the energy of her release surged through her body. “Ben!” she cried. She lost her balance in her climax, falling off of him. “Oh, so sorry!” she said, gaping wide-eyed at his engorged, damp member. 

“No worries,” he said, then he rolled her over onto her back, re-entered her and pumped into her until he screamed “Rey!” so loudly it echoed in the room.

They collapsed, loose-limbed in each other’s arms, panting as though they’d spent the last hour dueling. They gazed into each other’s eyes, laughing. Then he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I love you,” he whispered.

“And I love you,” she said, caressing his cheek. “Not bad for a first time?”

“No, not bad at all,” he chuckled. Then the gravity of the moment struck them both.They’d defied death for this.

They lay in each other’s arms, letting the universe stop for a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and subscribe for more updates!


	8. Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to life, back to reality.

Rey stirred in Ben’s arms. “If you can’t come with me, I can stay here with you.”

“You heard what that ball said,” Ben said sadly, tenderly tracing his fingertips on her back, “I am here and you are here only because of a vergence. One that will end.”

“Don’t say that, now that I’ve found you again,” she said, holding back tears.

“What did I say, I would always be with you, and I’ve kept my word, right?”

“Yeah but…I want * **this.** * To have you in my bed every night. To have you beside me learning all we can about the Force. To help bring forth a new age of the Jedi. To feel whole. To be at home.”

“Patience, Rey. At least we have this.” He leaned in and half-kissed her, half-devoured her. It spoke of desperation, of passion, and love that not even death could break.

Then Rey heard a voice from outside of the chamber, muffled as though someone was calling from outside of the castle’s threshold. She broke the kiss and sat up. “Did you hear that?” she asked Ben.

“What?”

Rey? Are you here?

Rey uttered a profanity common at Niima outpost. It was Shinme’i, the Guardian of the Whills. “Oh no, Ben…” she turned to him but the entire chamber turned into a blur. A strange suction sound echoed in her ears and in a blink of an eye, Rey was on the cold floor of the cave temple. She should’ve been naked, her hair should’ve been down but she was fully dressed, her hair still bound in a ponytail, her lightsaber and her pack with the scroll beside her. Ben was gone. But she could still feel his warmth on her mouth, taste him on her lips. 

“Rey!” Shinme’i called, her voice nearer.

“I’m over here!” Rey called, looking back at the mural in despair. She touched the wall but all she felt was cool stone. The portal was closed.

Shinme’i, carrying a lantern, approached Rey.The light bathed the temple cave walls in gold. “When you did not return for the evening meal, we were concerned. Your little droid was worried too.”

“What time is it?” Rey blinked.

“It’s dusk. You’ve been here well over twelve hours, at least,” Shinme’i said. “Hurry now before it gets dark.”

“Twelve hours?” Rey’s eyes went wide. She’d lost total track of time while in that other realm. “I’m sorry, Shinme’i.” She rose to her feet and gathered her belongings.

“No worries, Rey. Did you find what you were being called for?” The two women started to head toward the cave temple entrance. 

“Yes, I think so.” But Rey did not elaborate. How to explain to the Guardian the Force had called her there for a reunion and tryst with the dead half of her dyad? No one alive now even knew about the dyad. Thankfully, Shinme’I did not press any further. 

They arrived back at the Guardians’ temple just as night fell, the jungle around them buzzing with insects. BB-8 rolled up to Rey with a mix of excited and reproachful, angry beeps. “I’m sorry, BB-8,” she said, kneeling down to the droid. “Can you forgive me?”

BB-8 whistled something she assumed meant, “Don’t do that again.” After a meal of cold meat, cheese, and bread in the temple kitchen, Rey retired to her room with BB-8. She was exhausted and emotionally spent but her mind was buzzing. She peeled off her clothes and with a deep sigh, put on Ben’s shirt before taking down her hair and climbing into bed.

What had just happened? Was it a dream, a vision? The intercourse had felt real enough though she didn’t experience the pain she’d always heard about happening to women their first time with a man. She exhaled, staring at the ceiling. She felt Ben’s presence and if she listened hard enough she could hear his breathing and the beating of his heart. If she closed her eyes, she could feel his warmth beside her. So close and yet so far. 

How he made her feel so good, connected, and loved. 

“Sleep my love,” she could hear him say. “You need your rest.” A reassuring caress from an unseen hand smoothed over her thigh.

She fell asleep in an invisible embrace of two powerful arms.

+++

The next morning, Rey awoke, meditated, bathed, and joined the Guardians for morning exercises and breakfast.

When she returned to her room, she had BB-8 scan the scroll she’d borrowed from the library and returned it to the shelf. She spent the rest of the day gathering more tomes she’d remembered reading in the library and had BB-8 scan the relevant pages as well. 

Rey was full of something she had not felt since Ben passed…hope they could be together.In this world, where they could have a future. Surely there had to be information on where portals were located, when they would open for her and for him, and the power of the dyad. 

She suspected the Whills have a purpose for them still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for finding and sticking with this story....1336 hits as of my posting this chapter. I'm not a Big Name Reylo with a massive following so I appreciate every eyeball that finds LISTD. Other familiar faces are going to start appearing but Ben is never far from Rey's thoughts nor will fate keep them apart for long.


	9. Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is reunited with her friends, meets a new student, and dreams with her beloved.

“Thank you for everything. And I hope all of you will come see me. We’ve been divided by history for too long,” Rey said to Shinme’i. Rey, dressed in a fresh dark gray tunic and her shoulder length hair held back with head band, stood beside BB-8 at the temple gate. Shinme’i, the rest of the Guardians, and their acolytes had all come to bid their farewells.

“Indeed. The Jedi and the Guardians will be allies from now on,” Shinme’i said with a smile. She added, “I have a feeling about you, Rey. You are truly going to lead us all into a new age.”

Rey blushed and kicked at a rock with her boot. It always embarrassed her to hear things like that. In spite of everything that had happened to her these past couple of years, she still felt like Rey the simple girl from Jakku. But it was time to move on from Mirabol. She was going to miss the world’s deep connection to the Force. And to Ben.

_I am with you no matter where you are_ , she could hear him say.

Rey and BB-8 took their leave and walked down into the valley. Just as she and the little droid reached the pre-arranged coordinates, a familiar ship appeared in the distance. She smiled. Right on time. She could sense Chewbacca on the Falcon but also…Finn? Her smile grew wider. She’d missed him and her other friends.There were other presences as well.

The Millennium Falcon’s engines grew louder and soon the ship was close enough for her to see the ship’s familiar cockpit window. She jumped and waved at it. Soon the ship did a half turn and landed on the grass. The ramp dropped open and out bounded Finn. She ran into her friend’s arms and they gave each other a tight hug. Then she saw Jannah walk down the ramp and the two women embraced. “When we heard Chewie was coming to get you, we couldn’t help but hitch a ride to come along,” Finn said.

“How’s Poe?” Rey asked, following her companions up the ramp into the ship.

“He’s good. He misses his little buddy,” Finn said, pointing at BB-8. 

“Well, he’ll be back with his friend before long,” Rey said. As soon as she was aboard, Chewbacca roared a friendly hello before sweeping her off the deck in a back crushing embrace. “I’ve missed you too, Chewie,” she said. 

Chewbacca set her back down on the deck and she turned to see a young boy, about eleven years old, eyeing her curiously. “Oh and who is this?” she asked.

“I’m Temiri Blagg,” the boy said.

“He was an orphan slave on Canto Bight,” Finn explained. “With the end of the First Order, everything is chaotic now. He ended up in a refugee center and that’s where Jannah and I found him.” He leaned close to Rey and whispered, “He’s sensitive to the Force too.”

Rey looked at the boy, feeling his deep connection to the universe’s energy. “I’m Rey,” she said to him.

“I know, everyone knows,” Temiri said. He smiled. “You’re a legend, just like Luke Skywalker.”

Rey struggled to bear the young boy’s words graciously. “I’m just doing the best I can,” she said.

“Are you going to train me?” he asked.

“Yes, of course,” Rey said with a reassuring smile. 

“So, we’re going to Tatooine?” Finn asked.

“Briefly,” Rey said. “I’ve had time to decide what to do with Luke’s old home there. It should be a shrine, a place of learning and contemplation. Not just for the Jedi. For everyone. One of the things I want to do is to have everyone learn the Skywalker story and to believe in what they were all about. Pure selflessness, giving to others. What the Jedi once were and will be. But while I will return from time to time, I think my home should be elsewhere.”

“And from Tatooine?” Jannah asked.

“I think it’s time BB-8 sees his friend Poe again. And D-O.” BB-8 rolled and beeped with excitement.

“Now you’re talking!” Finn said. 

“After you,” Jannah said, gesturing toward the cockpit. Rey followed Chewbacca into cockpit and soon the Falcon was lifting off from Mirabol. As much as Rey enjoyed her time on the planet, she did enjoy space travel. Once the Falcon cleared Mirabol’s atmosphere, the coordinates were entered and Chewbacca indicated it was Rey who should pull the lever to go into hyperspace. She grinned and pulled back the controls, the stars streaking into lines and the ship accelerating forward.

+++

“Life itself creates the Force, all throughout the galaxy. From the tiniest one-celled creature we cannot see to the largest trees on Kashyyyk, the porg, the zillo beast, the human, the Zabrak, the Jawa, the Togruta, the Twi’lek. All are part of the Force and the Force is a part of all. It doesn’t belong to any one of us,” Rey said. Chewbacca was snoring in the background, BB-8 was recharging at a power outlet, but Jannah, Finn, and Temiri sat and listened attentively to Rey. “The difference is some of us are more sensitive to its flow. The Whills are able to communicate with us, through the cells in our bodies. All we have to do is learn to listen. We swim with the Force’s current instead of fighting it or controlling it. It’s not our will or our ego that dictates our action. For in the end we are servants of the Force and by extension of all living things.”

The boy yawned and Rey could see it was time for bed. She was feeling a bit tired herself. “That’s our lesson for tonight,” Rey said, getting up from her seat. The others bid their good nights and Rey made sure Temiri was ready for bed. He climbed up into one of the flight bunks and she spread a blanket over him. “Good night,” he said. “And thank you.”

Rey sighed. This is probably the first time in a long time he had ever been tucked in by anyone, if ever Her parents might have when she was very little, before she was forever separated from them. _We have much in common, Temiri_ , she thought. The boy’s nose wrinkled, as though he might have heard her but was aware she was not actually speaking. “Good night,” Rey said.

She retreated to the main cabin and as per her usual nighttime ritual, put on Ben’s tunic. She climbed into the bed and let Ben’s presence touch her as she drifted off to sleep.

She opened her eyes and instead of being aboard the Falcon, she was lying in a grassy field. Ben was lying beside her, holding her hand. It was a beautiful late afternoon on an unfamiliar world of blue skies, graceful trees, wildflowers, and in the distance a lake. 

Rey rolled over onto her side to face Ben. “It’s a shared dream, isn’t it?”

“A shared dream, a shared trance. When we both delve into our subconscious, we tend to find each other, no matter what.” Ben’s eyes glimmered with intensity.

“This place is beautiful. Where is it?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Ben said. “It reminds me of my grandmother’s home planet Naboo.”He pursed his full lips.“A place that’s your heritage too.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of that,” Rey said.“Just like I’m still trying to wrap my head around how people look to me to lead them, to inspire them, to be a symbol.”

“Now you get it,” Ben said wryly with a faint, lopsided grin.“But really Rey, what do you want?”

“What do I want?”she said.Rey blinked at the sky.“I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that question.”

“No one ever asked me either,” he said.“But now I am asking you.”

Rey sighed.“What I wanted at first was to be with my family again but I wouldn’t face that they were gone.Then I wanted any family, any sense of belonging.I found some of it with my friends.But I found most of it with you.What I want more than anything is a lifetime with you.”

“And?”

Rey exhaled.“I want to grow and learn in the Force.I want to teach not just a select group of the talented but to make this open to everyone.I want to share what I’ve learned about the light and the dark and how they both live in us.And how we chart our own destinies.”

“So proud of you,” Ben said, kissing her forehead.“That people look up to you and see you as a legend already can’t be helped.Just reflect their love back at them.”

In many ways Ben Solo was his father’s son.But in other ways, he was so very much like General Organa.

Ben put his arm around Rey, pulling her against his body and said, “Time for a kiss before this dream ends?”

Rey smiled.“Of course.”His hot lips and tongue still burned on hers even as she opened her eyes, back in the Falcon’s main cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I'm working from home for a while, maybe the updates will come a little faster? Be sure to subscribe to get updates and comment!


	10. Vergence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where will the next vergence occur? What does Finn know about Rey's connection with Ben?

The holographic chart splayed out across the room, a celestial vision dancing across Rey’s face in white light.It was late at night, when most of the Resistance core leadership and her students were fast asleep. 

Rey hugged herself beneath the warm cloak around her shoulders.She was accustomed to much warmer climates and hadn’t adjusted to cooler ones like Serenno’s, or at least during its autumnal season.But Serenno was chosen as the place where the Resistance and its allies were to plot the galaxy’s future course.Rey knew and cared little for the political particulars though it amused her to hear scuttlebutt about possibly making Lando Calrissian interim chancellor.She didn’t know if Lando himself was interested but it made for some good gossip.

The real reason for being there was to reunite BB-8 with Poe Dameron, who was the de facto leader of the post-Resistance military, and see her other friends again.Spending time with Poe, and especially Rose and Kaydel along with Finn, Jannah, and Chewie made her feel grounded.Training Temiri, Finn, and Jannah made her feel confident for the future.

But finding the next vergence between this world and the World Between Worlds was never far from her mind.Ben still left signs for her, whispered in her ear, and spoke to her in her dreams but since Serenno wasn’t Mirabol, she hadn’t felt his touch.And she yearned for it.

Rey had used her spare time to research and meditate, trying to plot out when and where the next vergence would happen.Her expanding consciousness and her sensitivity to the Force aided her.Examining the holographic chart and archaic script, Rey was able to see a series of lines converging on a location.Naboo.

Her mouth dropped open. 

According to her chart, the Naboo vergence was due to happen in fifteen days.Her heart beat faster. _Ben_.

Just then there was a knock on her quarters’ door.Rey turned and called, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Finn said.

Rey switched off the holographic chart and opened the door with a wave of her hand.Finn stepped inside, curiosity in his eyes.“You’re up late,” he said.

“So are you,” Rey replied.“What brings you by?”

“I hope I’m not overstepping any lines but I’ve noticed for a long time that well, something else has been pulling at you and it seems that ever since we picked you up on Mirabol it’s become even more so.”Finn shifted his gaze away for a second and added, “It’s Ben, isn’t it?”

Rey’s mouth gaped open a moment then she nodded.“He’s not gone, Finn.”

“Nothing is gone in the Force,” Finn said.“You’ve said so yourself.And his life force is in you.”

“Yes but it’s more than that.We are inextricably bound, even with him not in our world anymore.He’s sent me things, shown signs, appeared to me in dreams and visions.On Mirabol, we were so close we could touch.Then I went into an ancient temple and entered a dimension where we were able to physically meet.”Rey certainly wasn’t going to tell Finn what happened next.“I’ve discovered the Force has portals where at the right time and place we can meet again.”

“And you’ve been searching for it.”

“Yes,” Rey said.“There’s a dimension between our world and the netherworld of the Force and that is where Ben is.”

Finn frowned.“Why has he not moved on?”

“He told me has soul work to do with a mysterious master.And I suspect it’s also because he has one foot in our plane.Through me.”

“I don’t get any of this dyad stuff, two souls being one.The Force is so mysterious as it is.”

“The Force is a mystery we’ll never solve,” Rey said.“So we simply travel with its flow. I was given Ben as my soul twin and I was given to him.We have a purpose to serve together, even now.And,” she looked away shyly.“I love him.”

“I figured as much,” Finn exhaled.“It’s all right, Rey.Really.He’s not that monster anymore.He gave his life for yours and I guess for that alone, I owe him too.”

“Thank you,” Rey said, beaming.She hugged her friend.She looked back at him with a mischievous grin.“Now, what’s going on with you and Jannah?”

Finn laughed.“It’s…complicated.”

“It always is with you,” Rey teased. 

After Finn left, Rey decided to get ready for sleep.She went to retrieve Ben’s shirt from its drawer and there, sitting atop the dark fabric was a single light pink flower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working from home for the next couple of weeks, I guess the updates are going to come a little faster. Maybe. Thanks for reading! Comment! Subscribe!


	11. Naboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to beautiful Naboo, where Rey encounters a mysterious butterfly.

Light pink blossoms waved in the breeze as the Resistance delegation walked through the Theed palace grounds on a tour personally led by Naboo’s eighteen-year-old queen, Emiliana.The girl’s face was obscured by white makeup, two red dots on her cheeks and a scarlet line on her upper and lower lips the only color.Her hair was set in elaborate braids and she was clad in a velvet and shimmer silk embroidered dress with beading.She was effortlessly graceful in her gestures and she had an airy, almost ethereal way of speaking.Yet her warm personality showed through her royal persona.

While she had seen many green worlds by now, Rey found Naboo enchantingly beautiful, almost unreal.It wasn’t as powerful a conduit as Mirabol but strong nonetheless.Rey could sense the peacefulness of its lakes, rivers, and seas, its rolling green hills, its thick forests, its meadows.She could also sense its dense swamps and deep sea caverns.Sweet singing birds with colorful plumes in the gardens around her, frightening sea monsters in the honeycomb-like core below.

Of course she could also sense Ben’s presence.He had given her that blossom, acknowledging he knew where to find her next.

Poe and five other planetary leaders she had just met made up the tour group along with BB-8, Threepio, and Artoo.Rey had noticed something melancholy about the way the old astromech rolled along, beeping sadly to itself.She wondered about the secrets the little droid had which he cleverly hid with various mechanical quirks.

The remainder of her friends and Temiri Blagg remained on Serrano.Rey would’ve preferred to have come to Naboo alone but as soon as she announced plans to visit the world, Poe Dameron had announced the queen had invited him and other leaders to discuss rebuilding the galaxy.Rey supposed it was a coincidence but she wasn’t here for politics, she was here for Ben.But Poe had told her it was important for the Resistance’s old allies to see for themselves the last hope of the Jedi.

Queen Emiliana concluded the tour in the great hall, introducing the Gungan leader, Boss Jar Jar Binks III.The tall, gangly Gungan bowed gracefully.“Welcome to oursa world,” he said.He turned his gaze to Rey.“Meesa grandfather knew many Jedi.Wassa friends with the great Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.Weesa owe much to the Jedi for saving oursa home many years ago.”He pointed to a stained glass window in the great hall depicting a manin old fashioned Jedi robes, his long hair tied back.He had a prominent nose and a beard and even in the stained glass he radiated wisdom and compassion. 

“Ah yes, Master Qui-Gon Jinn,” Queen Emiliana said with a smile.“A great hero to the Naboo.We were only able to install that one after the Empire fell and thankfully the First Order never got a chance to destroy it.”

Poe caught Rey’s eye just long enough to mouth, “See?”She smirked back at him.

“Yes, thank the Force for that,” Rey said.“I would love to learn more about Master Qui-Gon and the siege of Naboo.”

“The Grand Library across from the palace has all of the historical records about the siege of Naboo and the early days of the Clone Wars,” Emiliana said.“Perhaps you’ll have some spare time to read them.”

Any excursions to the Grand Library would have to wait until after a reception inone of the palace courtyards.There more members of the queen’s court and government officials awaiting them.Rey took Ben’s advice to heart, reflecting back at them whatever they showed her.

One young woman in a blue toga-like dress looked at Rey with curiosity.“Forgive me for being so forward, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you had roots on Naboo,” she said.“It’s your features.They’re quite common here.Perhaps you’ve noticed already.”

“I could never be sure,” Rey said, not willing to bring up the creature who claimed to be her progenitor. “I grew up an orphan on Jakku.”

“So I’ve heard,” the young woman said.She asked Rey questions about the Resistance, the Jedi, and her plans for restoring the order.After a while, Rey became more relaxed in her conversation with the woman.Then out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a striking blue butterfly flutter around the courtyard then hover near her head.

When the reception ended, Rey went to visit the Grand Library, striding through the huge plaza between the two buildings.The blue butterfly from the courtyard rejoined her, fluttering its wings near her shoulder.Theed’s residents were starting to head home from work, laughing and chatting among themselves.In another kind of time, Rey could have been one of them, herself dressed in velvets and silks, flowers in her hair. 

But her life was her life.She may have heritage here but Jakku is what forged her and made her into who she is.

The butterfly seemed to guide Rey up the stairs to the Grand Library and hovered in its entry.Rey looked above her at the incredible mosaic above her.Her jaw dropped open.It was a blue and gold tile replica of the holographic map she had created.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I had to include a butterfly after last week's brilliant Roll Out cartoon!
> 
> Coming up: Rey and Ben meet again.


	12. Open The Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben are reunited.

As Rey stared at the tile mosaic, she knew right then and there this was where the next portal would be. All she had to do was let the Force guide her to its entry. The blue butterfly fluttered into the Grand Library’s entrance. She followed it as it flew in an arc around the reading area and for a moment, wondered if she was the only person who could see it. The library had a few visitors sitting at terminals or lounging in chairs reading data pads. She walked past them unnoticed as the butterfly drew her toward the rear of the reading area, then down a marble staircase to the library’s spiritual books collection. Rey walked through the stacks filled with thin holographic-playing devices, data tapes, and musty-smelling bound books, her heart beating faster. Ben was closer now, she could feel it. The butterfly hovered above an arching dark wooden door, one with an old-fashioned knob instead of the kind of doors that slid open and closed when it sensed someone approaching. Then the butterfly faded and disappeared like a dream.

_Open the door._

Rey blinked at the mysterious whisper in her ear.But she knew she had to obey its command.Reaching out with her right hand, she grasped the metal knob and turned it to the right.The door opened into a field of stars. 

She took a step back, shocked.What was this?Was she supposed to just walk into space without freezing or suffocating?But everything in her being told her to walk inside.Tentatively, she took a half step and a second, then she was at the threshold.Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and her foot landed on an invisible floor.She kept walking inside, the star field stretching out in all directions for what seemed to be an eternity.

Ben was here, she could feel it.She quickened her pace, trying not to look down.She kept walking straight ahead, one foot in front of the other.She could hear her heartbeat. 

A white circle appeared ahead of her and as she stepped near it, it grew taller and wider.It soon blocked out the star field and Rey was enveloped in white light.Then it dissipated, like clearing fog, revealing the same red bedroom she had encountered on Mirabol.And there, waiting for her in the center of the room, was Ben.He was dressed in white as before, but this time he wore no shoes.

“Rey,” he said, breaking into the toothy grin she’d come to adore.

“Ben,” she replied and they rushed into each other’s arms.He picked her up off of her feet and held her tight against him, his full warm lips devouring hers. 

Rey savored the kiss, losing herself in the strokes of his impossibly long tongue and his arms around her.As the kiss faded, she boldly sucked on his lower lip.“I’m glad to see you too,” he said with a wry arch of his eyebrows.

“I can tell you’re definitely glad to see me,” Rey replied with a sly grin.

“I’ll show you how glad I am very soon,” Ben said.He set Rey back on the floor and enticingly removed his shirt.Rey gazed hungrily at his broad chest and long, well-defined arms.She moved to start removing her tunic, but he gently stopped her with his hands.“Let me,” he said.“Please.”

She looked up into his eyes and nodded.His fingers ran down her neck to her shoulders and collarbone.They traveled down over her breasts, then he found the fastenings on her tunic, his skin touching hers as he undid them.He peeled off the tunic, leaving her clad in her breast band, her belt, her pants, and boots.“Sit,” he said, patting the bed.She complied, sitting on the edge.Ben set to undoing the laces on her boots, casually dropping them aside.He caressed her foot and Rey gasped.She was surprised at how his gentle massage was so titillating.Just as thought it couldn’t be more arousing, he started sucking on her big toe.His big hands tenderly rubbed her calf.His full lips closed around her toes, his tongue tickling them.It shocked her to enjoy this so much.

He rose up on his knees, kissing her leg along the way.He unfastened her belt with her blaster and lightsaber, carefully placing those on the floor.Then he reached with both hands for her pants’ waistband.Rey held her breath, lifted up her hips, and licked her lips while Ben slowly slid her pants down over legs, then cast them onto the floor.Without taking his eyes off of her, he removed his pants.He was bare to her except for a white undergarment that accented his growing desire for her.Rey felt hot and tingling in all of the right places.Then Ben leaned over her, his face an inch from her own. 

“We have time now.Let’s take this slowly,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to comment and subscribe if you haven't already! Stay tuned for Ch. 13 (flame emoji)!
> 
> In the meantime, I have a new Reylo AU one-shot: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639548


	13. Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben just wants to take it slow, LOL.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out, more marital smut!

Rey leaned forward and kissed Ben, hungrily taking him in and slipping her tongue inside his mouth. He moaned, pressing himself against her. He gently broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck and shoulder. Rey delighted in the kisses he traced on her skin and the way his nose brushed up on her. His lips found where the battle scar had once been on her arm, a scar that had healed when Ben restored her to life.

He reached around her back and peeled off the breast band. He gazed at her breasts approvingly. Rey felt herself clenching at the way he looked at her. She smiled faintly at him, letting him admire her before he leaned down and took nearly her entire left breast in his mouth while he reached for her right. She groaned with ecstasy, his tongue teasing one sensitive nipple, his fingers pinching and thumbing the other. She ran her fingers through his hair as he attended to her, whimpering his name over and over.

Ben placed a gentle kiss on her breastbone, right over her heart, then he started suckling her right breast while his hand moved to her left. Rey felt herself cresting, then she felt a gentle warmth washing over her, her interior muscles fluttering. “Aaahh,” she uttered in a high pitched voice she didn’t recognize. Her face flushed.

Ben brushed his lips over her neck and jaw. “That’s your first,” he said in that deep voice of his. “It won’t be your last.” Chills ran down Rey’s spine. 

He firmly but gently laid Rey flat on the bed. Blinking her eyes at him, he smirked at her then leaned over to kiss her belly button. He then trailed his lips down below her navel to the edge of her damp undergarment. Ben pressed kisses on that tender spot, making Rey’s muscles spasm. He smiled, then grabbed the edge of her undergarment with his teeth. He pulled it down, grazing her pubic hair with his nose. She bit down on her hand. He seized edges of her undergarment and pulled it down her legs. 

Ben now sat back in a squat, nudging Rey’s knees open with his hands. “My love,” he said reverently. He kissed her inner thighs, holding on to her hips. Then he plunged into her womanhood. Rey’s eyes bulged and she yelped. He explored her with his tongue, his nose just hitting her in all the right places. All Rey could do was watch him devotedly pleasure her. He placed his palm on her lower abdomen, then he made eye contact with her. His pupils were so dilated his brown eyes looked black. 

Rey tumbled into another climax, this one stronger than the last. Much stronger, and lingering. “Unhhhh,” she groaned, her eyes shutting tightly. Gasping, she opened her eyes. Ben rained tender kisses again on her thighs. “Mmm, you liked that,” Ben hummed into her skin. 

“Oh yes,” she said, arching her back. Her body was so taut, her nipples hard pebbles. Every inch of her felt alive. And she wanted so badly for Ben to feel the same.

“Of course I feel it,” Ben said rising to his feet. “Your pleasure is mine too. That’s the beauty of being connected.”

“I want to touch you, Ben,” Rey said. “I want to give you what you couldn’t get when you were in our world.” She licked her lips at the sight of his arousal straining against his undergarment.

“As my lady wishes,” Ben grinned, pulling down his undergarment and tossing it aside. Rey sat up on the bed, and started stroking his length, capturing eye contact with him. Ben groaned as she continued exploring and touching him. Feeling more daring, she licked her lips and swirled her tongue around his tip. Encouraged by his moans, she took him into her mouth. She didn’t think she could take him all in but she did the best she could.

Ben gripped the back of her head, running one hand through her hair and placing the other on her shoulder. “Rey,” he gasped. “Gods, you’re amazing.” This time she knew not to get him to climax too quickly. She wanted him inside of her. She released him and stood up. An unspoken signal was exchanged and an unseen hand lifted Rey and dropped her onto the bed. Ben flew onto the bed and landed right where he was positioned to enter her. She flexed her legs open wide, allowing him to gently glide into her. He moved his hips slowly, tantalizing her.

Ben tenderly kissed her ear as she stroked his back. He murmured, “You feel so good, my love. I’m going to give you all of the pleasure you deserve, because you’re mine forever.” He kept with his slow but sweet ministrations, caressing her skin, whispering in her ear.

“Ben, faster,” Rey moaned. 

“Do you not like this?”

“I love this. I just want…”

“This?” Ben said, pushing himself at an increased pace.

“Oh kriff Ben, gods, yes!” He filled her, touched her everywhere. But her body ached for more.

“Mmm, time to go a little faster? A little deeper?” 

Rey screamed, thrusting her hips to keep up with his pace. Soon they were both panting and moaning, the bed rocking as each tried to find a common apex.

Rey and Ben locked gazes, their perspiration mingling when they experienced climax together. Their hands clenched as they rode the wave of ecstasy. 

The storm subsided, and Ben collapsed to his side. Rey reached forward and caressed his grinning face, so alive and flushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update took a while, partially because "smut scenes" are hard to write and need more time/care and partially due to the lockdown/quarantine blahs. I am already working on Chapter 14. Thanks for your patience, comment, and subscribe if you haven't already!


	14. Afterlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben reveals his post-Exegol experiences.

Rey rested her cheek on Ben’s chest, tracing her fingertip on his sculpted abdomen.He stroked her loose shoulder-length hair.

“Do you want to know everything that’s happened since we parted?”he asked, his voice rumbling through his chest like thunder.

“Since Mirabol?”

“No, since Exegol.”

Rey frowned.How she hated thinking back to that moment when she thought she’d lost Ben as soon as she’d found him.But she was also deeply curious. 

“Why haven’t you told me before?”she asked.

“I’m struggling to understand it myself,” he said.“Outside of this reality, when I go back through that door, is something I can barely explain.I’m there, and I’m also with you.It’s like having multiple consciences at the same time yet it’s all me.This place is where I feel closest to being as I was before.”

Rey looked up at Ben’s face, seeing the confusion in his eyes.“But now you feel ready to reveal it,” she said.

“Yes,” he said. 

***

_Ben Solo’s last conscious sensation was Rey holding his hand.He then slipped away into darkness, like falling asleep.Then he was able to see again but he was floating above Rey, watching her gape in shock at his pile of clothing and boots.He felt her confusion and her sorrow.He wanted to reach out to her to comfort her but he couldn’t touch her.Instead, he sent her a thought, “I will always be with you.”_

_And she responded, “No one is ever really gone.”_

_Then a bright light appeared beside him.He turned to see his mother smiling at him.“Come along, Ben,” she said.She held out her hand to him and he took it._

_He didn’t know how long they walked together in silence, entering some other reality or dimension that was no longer Exegol.Here were swirls of stars and galaxies.Then a voice said, “Leia Organa, come forth.”A portal opened and the same voice urged Leia inside.He watched his mother enter another realm, sparing him one last glance.How he wishes he’d had the chance to reconcile with her while she still lived.He knew he could not follow her but remain where he was, in this strange dark expanse of portals, pathways, and stars._

_Then he felt another presence, one he had never experienced before yet felt familiar.A female Togruta clad in white robes, her head tails white and blue striped, entered from one of the mysterious portals.In her hand was a staff._

_“Ben Solo,” she greeted.“I am Ahsoka Tano and I will be your guide here.”_

_“Where am I?”he asked her._

_“They call this the World Between Worlds,” she said.“I entered this dimension when I was alive, so I am able to transport between time and space.Your mortal body passed though, so you are limited.”_

_“My mother,” Ben said, gesturing where Leia had entered the portal, “she is taking the trials, correct?”_

_“Yes.But you are not ready yet.”_

_“Why?Is it the suffering and pain I’ve caused?”_

_“The Force isn’t punishing you, Ben.You turned on the First Order and you rejected the Dark Side. You gave your life force to Rey out of pure selflessness.”_

_Ben shook his head, incredulous.“Then what am I doing here?”_

_“In order to take the trials and maintain your identity in the netherworld of the Force, two things must happen.One, you have soul work to do.The Force isn’t done with you yet and in order to move forward, you have to come to terms with your past acts and reach new levels of spiritual enlightenment.Two, the other half of your twin soul still lives.As long as she does, you cannot enter the trials.”_

_“I guess I’ll be here for a while then,” Ben smiled wistfully.“I want Rey to live a good, long life.She deserves it.”_

_“Then, we are ready to begin,” Ahsoka said._

_Thus began a bizarre existence where Ben Solo lived in the present wherever his soul twin roamed and in this place of long meditation, contemplation, and visions where he confronted his own past.Just he’d seen his father on Kef Bir, those he’d wronged in his life started coming forward to him._

_First was his old friend Tai.Tears flooded Ben’s eyes at the sight of the grinning bald young man, dressed in his Jedi robes.Ben rushed forward and tightly embraced Tai.“I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry,” Ben sobbed._

_“It’s okay, Ben.I’m all right.I knew you would come back.I always knew you would,” Tai said._

_Lor San Tekka appeared, smiling benevolently in the knowledge that he too had been right about Ben._

_They weren’t always friends or allies like Tai or Tekka.He’d encountered the Knights of Ren, villagers he’d massacred, warriors he’d bested in battle, and rivals like Hux.Hux appeared as a distorted image, like a hologram that had been stretched out too high at an off-kilter angle.He seemed strangely subdued and somewhat bewildered.Ben said, “We were all brain washed by the same cult, pit against each other to keep us both weak.So neither of us would discover the truth about the First Order and Snoke could take what he wanted from each of us.You were never my enemy, Armitage.Snoke was.And he was yours too.”_

_Hux looked pained, as though he too realized the truth of what Ben had said.Then he simply faded away._

_Then there was his family.His father with a friendly, “Hey, Kid.”His uncle Luke.His mother Leia.How he wept at her feet, begging her forgiveness.She lifted his chin and smiled at him.“I never stopped loving you, Ben,” she’d said.“I believed in you all along.Now, will you forgive me?For everything I did and failed to do for you?”_

_“Yes, Mom, of course,” he said._

_He met his grandfather, whose shadow he’d once misguidedly admired.With him was Ben’s grandmother, who was petite like his mother, and whose eyes he shared.As it turned out, Anakin Skywalker had been trying to reach him for years but the voices in Ben’s head had drowned him out.The only way had been through Rey._

_He’d envied his grandparents for one thing:they were together in a way he and Rey could not be.But it was a sacrifice he’d been willing to make and would do again in a heartbeat._

_Then there were the dreams and visions with Rey.No matter what he was doing he was always conscious of wherever Rey was, what she was doing, and how she was feeling.He suspected it was because he was tied to her as both part of her soul and her carrying his life force._

_Then came the time when the Whills summoned him to this mysterious chamber.Ahsoka quietly acquiesced, staying behind as Ben climbed the staircase to the chamber where met Rey in the flesh again, able to do all in the flesh he’d been able to do when he was alive._

***

“Why are the Whills letting us be together like this?”Rey whispered.“And is there any way you can leave with me?”

“I don’t know,” Ben sighed.“One thing I’ve had to relearn is to trust the Force after years of trying to bend it to my will.”

Rey reached up to brush the hair from his eyes.She lay back on his shoulder, knowing it would soon be time for them to part. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of this was inspired by the World Between Worlds episodes on "Rebels," in case you're wondering, LOL. There are also references to the great comics series "The Rise Of Kylo Ren."
> 
> Soon, the Whills' agenda will be revealed. Stay tuned!


	15. Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey receives a warning.

It had been weeks since Rey left Naboo with the delegation and now she was leading her growing class in lightsaber forms; four more students had joined her to learn the ways of the Force.Rey’s yellow lightsaber flashed through the twilight on Ajan Kloss, sending its nocturnal insects scurrying.“Perfect form,” she could hear Ben saying in her head.She tried not to smile in front of her students.

Once darkness set in, she dismissed her students and for a while, she chatted with Finn and Jannah.Then she set off alone to walk back to her quarters when the Force’s current shifted and Leia Organa’s spirit manifested before her.

“Leia!”Rey gasped, taking a step back.

“I hope I didn’t frighten you,” Leia said with an amused grin.

“No, of course not,” Rey said.“I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.”

“Rey, I’m very proud of everything you’ve accomplished but I there’s something…unresolved.I sense that you may soon be tested in a way you have not been before.”

Rey frowned.“What do you mean?”

“The light shines brightly in you but the Dark Side hasn’t been defeated or destroyed.It can’t be.So it will always tempt you, pull at you.My brother learned that the hard way.”

Rey nodded, knowing that all too well.But she had defeated the Emperor and Ben had given her the strength to resist his attempts to lure her to the dark side.What was left to threaten her in such a way?

“The Dark Side doesn’t have to be manifested in an evil foe,” Leia counseled.“It’s what is in you.”

Rey didn’t know what Leia was getting at.She hadn’t felt the dark pull at her lately.She hadn’t given into any dark impulses.

“You’re still in love with my son and you want him back,” Leia said.“Beware.The Dark Side might try to offer you what you want, a shortcut, a quick and easy answer instead of just trusting the Force.”

Memories of Luke alarmed at how effortlessly Rey went to the dark because it offered her something she wanted flashed through her head.“I’ll be careful,” Rey said.

“Please,” Leia said.She turned as though to leave.

“Tell me,” Rey said, “what do you know of the Whills?”

Leia turned back toward Rey, eyes widened.“They’re the heart of the universe’s secrets,” she said.“It was a shaman of the Whills who taught Master Qui-Gon Jinn how to keep his identity in the netherworld of the Force.Those secrets were passed on, including to me.Accessing to those secrets require compassion and selflessness.”

“I found the Guardians of the Whills had a temple on Mirabol.I spent some time with them,” Rey said.“I learned the Whills are ancient immortal beings yet they are not gods.They feed off the Force and express their desires to us through our bodies, to our very cells.When we are balanced, we can hear them clearly.We can live in harmony with the universe.When we are not, chaos reigns.The fact is, all of these months I’ve not felt fully balanced.Even with a new purpose and with friends, something’s missing.I don’t have my soul twin, at least not with me in the way it should be.”

Leia gazed upon Rey sympathetically.“I don’t have an answer for that Rey, but remember my warning.”

Leia turned again, and this time she faded away.

Rey sighed and returned to her quarters, sitting down on her bed.An idea came to her and she hoped whatever time it was at the temple on Mirabol now, it wasn’t an inconvenient hour.

Moments later, Shinme’i appeared in a holographic projection, bathing the room in blue light.“Good afternoon, Rey,” the Twi’lek woman greeted with a bow of her head. 

“Good evening, Shinme’i,” Rey said with a bow of her own.“I’m glad it’s not the middle of the night or some other bad time where you are.I have a question for you.”

“Of course.”

“Have the Guardians ever encountered a dyad?Two souls that are one?”

Shinme’i blinked, confusion on her features.“I only know of some old Jedi legends.There have never been any among the Guardians.Many of our scholars didn’t even believe in the dyad concept.If such a thing exists, it must be exceedingly rare.”

“It does exist,” Rey said.“I am half of one.My other half…”She paused, fighting back the emotions that threaten to overwhelm her.“He sacrificed himself for me, so I might live.I am grateful to him but I feel like a part of me is missing, incomplete.The only reassurance I had was feeling his presence and seeing him in my dreams and trances.But on Mirabol, the Force was so strong, he could touch me.And then I was able to reach through to him in that ancient cave temple.A vergence opened so that we could meet.Another one has just happened again.He cannot return with me yet the Whills are allowing these meetings to happen.

I don’t think things will be as they need to be as long as we are separated.He was meant for more, I just know it.”

Shinme’i looked upon Rey with compassion.“Remember Rey, the Force flows through us all and we are all part of its flow.It is the energy that binds all living things.Death is meaningless to us because if the soul is energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.So your other half, he still exists, he will always exist.”

Rey nodded.“Thank you, Shinme’i.”

As Rey sat back down on her bed, her mind spun with Shinme’i’s words.Perhaps there were other sources of arcane knowledge that will give her more insight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to thank all of you for giving me over 100 kudos (rare for my stories)! Thanks to all of you for continuing with this story. There are lots of fix it fics and other Reylo authors who have a much bigger following/get more notice than I do. Thanks for finding your way here.


	16. Pilgrimage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and her students visit the former Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

If Takodana surprised Rey once with how much green there was in the galaxy, Coruscant astonished her at how much permacrete and durasteel there was too.The city’s spires stretched on forever to the horizon in every direction and its artificial canyons dropped into endless chasms.An unbroken chain of speeders flew between the mega structures like organized insects.There were no natural features to be seen on Coruscant yet its untold trillions of inhabitants and its constant buzz of activity were frenetic presences in the Force. 

The Millennium Falcon fell into a flight pattern behind other ships heading for the megacity’s vast number of space ports.Chewbacca growled beside her.Rey barely made out the Shyriiwook but she understood the sentiment well enough.“Bad memories.”Coruscant had been a place of legend but it was even to those on obscure Jakku a symbol of everything that had gone wrong since the fall of the Republic.The New Republic didn’t even want to return its capital here, though based on what Rey had heard, the fledgling post-war government was considering it.

Still, her decision to come here had surprised her friends.

_“The Jedi Temple on Coruscant?”Poe said, arching his eyebrow._

_“Yes,” Rey said to her stunned compatriots.“I want to go on a pilgrimage.”_

_“The Temple got turned into the Imperial Palace after the end of the Clone Wars,” Poe said.“There’s nothing of the Jedi left.”_

_“It’s still an important site to us.To our history, our heritage,” Rey insisted with a little more heat than intended._

Of course, Rey had other motives.She hoped for insight, for some kind of lingering knowledge hidden in the Temple, that would help her find Ben and bring him home ahead of the next vergence. 

Finn and Temiri entered the Falcon’s cockpit to watch the approach to the spaceport and see the spectacular view.Finn, who had at least been on massive Star Destroyers and visited multiple worlds, was impressed but Temiri was just as awe-struck as Rey.The boy gaped in wonder at the vast city planet.“Wow!This is all like a dream!”

“It doesn’t quite seem real, does it?”Finn said.

Then Rey saw the five tours atop a ziggurat.Even though she had never been to Coruscant before, her heart and her very DNA recognized it.“That’s it, the Jedi Temple,” she said.She and Chewbacca prepared to land at a port close by.The Falcon received its clearance and it gently landed on a docking bay precariously close to an endless drop.It made Rey a little uneasy as she disembarked the ship, Finn and Temiri following behind her.Jannah and the other students remained on Ajan Kloss.Rey suspected the couple might have had a little bit of a spat, but it was not her way to pry. 

Chewie was staying behind to guard the Falcon but Rey knew it was likely because the Wookiee didn’t like the idea of setting foot inside the Temple. 

Rey, Finn, and Temiri took turbo lifts down to the level where the Temple entrance was located and started off on the brief journey on duracrete catwalks and promenades.Rey kept her lightsaber and blaster at an easy reach on her holsters.This sector of Coruscant was under the restored Republic’s control and while everything appeared normal, one never knew if some other faction—even one sympathetic to the First Order—could attack. The Jedi Temple turned Imperial Palace was a loaded symbol.

The trio reached the Temple gateway.Republic guards ringed the ziggurat’s grounds.The group approached its highest ranked leader, a man in makeshift armor with his insignia painted on it.Finn presented a hologram from Poe Dameron, introducing the group and giving them permission to enter the grounds.

The guards’ commander blinked.“ _You’re_ Rey of Jakku?!And Finn the ex-stormtrooper?!I can’t believe it!The heroes of Exegol!” he said in awe.The other guards looked on in amazement.For a moment, Rey saw herself in the starstruck man.It wasn’t long ago she was all agog meeting legends like Han Solo or Luke Skywalker.She smiled graciously at the commander, remembering what Ben told her about reflecting love back.“Are you moving the Jedi in here?”

“We’ve come for pilgrimage purposes,” Rey said.“I don’t know exactly what we’ll do yet with the Temple.”

The commander led them to the front entrance up what seemed to be an endless flight of stairs.Rey felt impressions of the past.Stormtroopers marching down the steps.Jedi fighting clone troopers, bodies crumpled on the ground.Masters and their students casually strolling out of the entrance. 

“We close at sunset,” the commander said.“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to comm me.”

Rey nodded and Finn thanked the commander.They would have about eight hours.

As Rey and her companions entered the sacred site, the weight of its history weighed upon her.The whispers of the past, of masters and knights who lived throughout the millennia, echoed in her ears.Here was great wisdom and terrible folly.Great joy and tragedy.The light and the dark.It was a powerful place.They strolled through halls with impossibly high ceilings and tall columns.Golden sunlight streamed through the windows.Rey and her companions found what had once been gardens and waterfalls.They admired the view from what had once been the Jedi Council’s meeting chamber.But a chill ran down Rey’s spine though at the lingering residue of the Emperor.One day she was going to have to clear it all from this space.

They found a pair of tall doors back on the Temple’s lowest level.The doors parted and the group gasped.There before them was the old Jedi Temple library.Its shelves were disappointingly empty.As the group broke off and looked around, she felt a vibration in the air.It led her into a small chamber off from the main room.At the chamber’s back wall was a vault.Rey reached out to touch it and the door slid open.She jumped, not expecting it.Inside was a small pyramid that looked like it was carved from a large piece of amethyst.It resembled the way finder used to find Exegol, only smaller.It called to her, begged her to reach for it.She picked it up and it comfortably fit into her palm.It hummed with power, neither light nor dark but a curious combination of both.Glancing behind her shoulder, she slipped the pyramid into a pouch on her belt.Then she heard a whisper in her ear.

“I have the key to what you want.I have the power to defeat death,” the voice said.It wasn’t Ben.It wasn’t anyone she recognized.It was like the hissing of a serpent and it sent chills down her spine.

The dark side.Leia had warned her.“No,” Rey said aloud.“You have nothing but lies.Leave me alone.”She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, meditating on the light.She envisioned it enveloping her entire body, protecting her spine, pushing out the dark and leaving herself in balance. The dark presence was gone.She opened her eyes, exhaling with relief.

“Who are you talking to?” 

Rey jumped and she turned to see Finn there, looking at her in confusion.

“Nobody.Just me,” Rey said, masking her emotions from him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for continuing to read! We're at the beginning of the third act now and I'm guesstimating the completed story will have around 25 chapters. It might be more, it might be less. I do have the whole story mapped out so I do know where things will end up.


	17. Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fasten your seatbelts for some fluffy smut.

Rey settled into bed in her quarters on the Falcon. As always she wore Ben’s shirt. Next to her, just out of reach of her fingertips, was the mysterious amethyst pyramid. She hadn’t much of a chance yet to explore it. She, Finn, and Temiri had spent more time exploring the Jedi Temple before the sun started to set, bathing the Temple in orange light. They’d departed the grounds and returned to the Falcon. Chewbacca was more than happy to lift off and leave Coruscant behind.

But she will try to tinker with it later. She was drowsy. She waved her hand, plunging the quarters into darkness. All was silent but the humming of the Falcon’s hyperspace engines. Tired from the day’s explorations and the psychic toll of the Temple’s residual energy, Rey quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Her eyes opened and Ben was there, standing a few feet away from the bed. Normally the room would be pitch dark but Ben’s presence illuminated the room just enough so she could see him. “Darling!” she said, smiling. “Where have you been? I thought I would feel you more strongly on Coruscant.”

“The Temple is strong with history but not necessarily stronger with the Force,” he said. “The reason why the Temple was built there had more to do with politics than with Coruscant’s spiritual qualities. Or so Uncle Luke told me.” He smiled wryly at Rey, which did interesting things to her. His dark eyes turned toward the amethyst pyramid.

“What is that?” he said, his brow furrowing, pointing at the artifact.

“I found it at the Temple. It’s as though it called to me,” Rey said. “I don’t know what it is.”

Ben frowned. “I sense neither light nor dark from it but it doesn’t mean it’s balanced. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Did Ben know Leia had warned Rey? Did he know about the Dark Side tempting her before she picked up the artifact? If he did, he kept silent. He turned his gaze away from the pyramid and back toward her. Ben looked so handsome, she couldn’t help herself. She wanted him right now.

Rey smolderingly held Ben’s gaze as she slowly lifted up the shirt that was once his, exposing her nude body. She pulled it off over her head and laid it aside. She could see herself the way he saw her and it amazed her how in his eyes, her body was beautiful, scintillating, and perfect. She wanted to devour her spiritual husband but her desire was born out of confidence. She took his hand and brought him down to sit beside her.

He stared into her eyes, her very soul, his hand tenderly cupping her face. His thumb lightly brushed over her lip. “You’re everything to me,” he said. “I know I don’t need to say it but my love for you is as limitless as the universe and just as eternal.”

“I’ve never told you this and maybe you already know but that day, when I healed you, I would’ve given all of myself if that was required. Because my love for you knows no boundaries,” Rey confessed.

Ben smiled slightly and pressed his lips to her forehead. Then his lips lightly kissed her eyelids, the tip of her nose, and then her mouth. Her hand pressed on his chest.

He slowly ended the kiss, then he shed his clothing. They lay down together, skin to skin, tightly in each other’s embrace. They breathed as one. Their hearts beat as one. Their thoughts melted into each other’s. Rey realized they were eternal partners in a cosmic dance that lasted forever.

Ben slipped his fingers into her core, probing deep into her and drowning her in waves of pleasure. He bent his head to sample her breasts, kissing, licking, and nipping. She closed her eyes letting herself go. She crested and when she opened her eyes, Ben was grinning at her.

“My turn,” Rey said, pushing Ben onto his back. She kissed and bit the smooth warm skin on his chest and abdomen. He was a slave to her touch all over his body before she boldly took him into her mouth. He was more than ready for her by the time she finished with her ministrations. He rose up above her, his need for her as noticeable as ever.

Ben held Rey’s legs up, rhythmically and effortlessly thrusting into her. She admired the way he moved his hips, the concentration on his face. She vaguely wondered if he would be any good dancing in spite of his height and build. “Yes, Ben, oh gods yes,” Rey moaned. She was cresting, peaking and Ben cried out her name as he reached his own climax...

Rey sat up in bed, her whole lower body trembling, gasping. That erotic dream seemed so incredibly real. She could still feel and taste Ben. Then she felt liquid on her thighs. Was it her sweat? Was it her own juice? She switched on the light in the quarters and pulled up the shirt hem. Her eyes bulged and her mouth opened in shock. The trails on her thighs glistened with a man’s seed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobody ever mentioned this kind of thing happening in the Force! Things are about to get more interesting and complicated for Rey!
> 
> If you haven't already, subscribe and feel free to comment!


	18. Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets some incredible news.

“Are you okay?”

Rey opened her eyes to see Rose Tico looking at her with concern.Rey was sitting on the ground, having spent the last several minutes trying to fight off a sudden wave of nausea.She took in another deep breath of the steamy morning air.“I think so.” 

“You look kinda pale and sweaty,” Rose said.“If you don’t mind my saying.”

“Maybe it’s the weather here on Ajan Kloss.It’s gotten very hot and humid lately,” Rey said, wiping a hand over her face.“I’m not used to it.I felt like this yesterday too for a while, then it passed.”

“Yesterday?Are you sure you’re not sick?You should go see the med droid.”

“Perhaps,” Rey said.“I haven’t been feeling myself lately.”

“Here, I’ll help you up,” Rose said, holding on to Rey’s shoulders as she shakily rose to her feet.The women walked together toward the medical bay, now a prefab facility instead of a tent. Even though the leadership was now on Serenno, the base on Ajan Kloss remained operational for now and it had become Rey’s training ground for her Jedi students. 

While Rose waited in the hall, Rey was taken to an examination room alone and instructed to lay down ona recliner.The med droid was a 5-1B unit; tall, humanoid, and covered in stainless durasteel.

“What are your symptoms?”the droid asked in a deep, authoritative female voice.

“I haven’t been feeling well,” Rey said.“I’ve been a bit tired and I get these waves of nausea during the day.It goes away and then I feel better.”The droid pointed a body temperature reader at her forehead. 

“Your temperature is normal for a human.When was the date of your last menses?”the droid asked.

“It was…” Rey hesitated.Come to think of it, it had been a while since her last period.“Um, maybe 40 days ago?”

“Are you sexually active?”

Rey’s eyes widened, not really used to a forward question like that, especially not from a droid.And how to explain her situation with Ben? “Uh, yes?I suppose?”

“An unusual response from a human.I shall be blunt.When did you last have sexual intercourse?”

“Forty days ago?”Rey guessed.It had been just over a month since that intense erotic dream she’d experienced with Ben, the one where she woke up finding his seed on her.He’d been close to her since and she could feel his presence with her in the examination room.

“You are describing potential symptoms of human pregnancy, first trimester.I will need to scan to confirm.”

“Pregnancy?!”Rey bolted forward, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open.

“Why are humans always surprised when these things happen?” the med droid mused.“Lie still, please.”

The med droid came closer to her then ran another scanner over her lower abdomen down to her crotch.A holographic image was projected above the scanner.Rey could see a thick mass and a small throbbing in the center. 

“Positive,” the med droid confirmed.“Human fetus approximately five weeks in development.Heartbeat normal.You are pregnant.”

In that moment the universe stopped.She was carrying a child.Ben’s child.She was going to be a mother.How was this possible?A man who was energy now in the Force had made a baby with her? _Through a dream??_

“Are you all right?”the med droid asked.

“Yes, I’m fine…I’m just…really shocked.”The droid looked at her again. Its face was expressionless of course but Rey could tell what the droid was thinking.“I thought we were, um, being careful,” she said sheepishly.She needed some kind of excuse for her reaction.

“I hear that a lot from humans too.”

The med droid estimated Rey’s due date and recommended her first regime of treatment but she was still in a daze.She remained in a daze as she walked out of the examination room right past Rose, barely hearing the other woman asking how she was doing.She walked out of the medical bay through the base and into the jungle, out to where she had not long ago trained with Leia.

_Ah, Leia.You’re going to be a grandmother.How I wish you were here._

Rey sat down on a rock, her head spinning.“Ben, I’m having your baby,” she whispered aloud.“Somehow we did it.We’re having a child.”

_Oh Rey_.It was Ben’s deep rich voice echoing in her mind. _Rey, my darling Rey_.It was happy, it was tender, but also touched with sadness.Because life and death still separated them. 

She received an image of him picking her up in his powerful arms, joyously whirling her around, laughing, the happiest she’d ever seen him. 

“I’m happy too,” she said.“I don’t know how I’m going to explain it to anyone.But I’m thrilled.I’ve always wanted to be a mother.”

_And you’ll be a great one_ , Ben whispered. _Oh how I wish I could hold you now and kiss you_.

“Me too,” Rey said.Sunlight shone on her.She basked in its warmth.In that moment she felt the spark of life inside of her.It’s her and it’s Ben but it’s also something new, unique.Powerful.Rey smiled.Her hand rested low on her belly.

“Rey!”Rose’s voice interrupted Rey’s reverie.She turned to see Rose enter the clearing, her face puzzled.“Hey, there you are!What’s wrong?Are you okay?”

Rey turned, feeling at peace.“I’m more than okay.Rose, I’ve learned I’m pregnant.”

“WHAAAAT?!!!”

***

“How?!”Finn shouted.“How??!!”He paced back and forth in the prefab room used as a temporary Jedi dojo, running his hand through his hair.It was just him and Rey.He’d wanted to talk to her alone after he got the news from Rose.

Rey bit on her lip to keep from laughing.She knew Finn was just shocked and surprised, he wasn’t angry.“I told you, it was Ben.Truly a miracle of the Force.”’

“That’s one hell of a miracle!” Finn said.“I don’t get _those_ kinds of miracles!”

Rey couldn’t help but chuckle, her cheeks getting warm.

“Seriously though, I don’t know what Poe’s going to think.He’s not going to get it plus…he still thinks of Ben Solo as Kylo Ren.What are we going to say?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Rey said.Poe was on Serenno, but he was going to find out about the pregnancy sooner or later.

Finn stopped pacing.He placed his hands on Rey’s shoulders.“Look, Rey, I’m here for you no matter what.I’m behind you all of the way and whatever you need, let me know.”He grinned.“Just promise me I’ll get to be godfather, okay?”

“You got it,” Rey said.“And thank you.”

The friends embraced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, a Magic Reylo Baby is on the way! Should it be a boy or a girl? And how will it raise the stakes even more for Rey? 
> 
> Feel free to comment and subscribe!


	19. Temptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone offers Rey what she seeks.

Rey’s announcement of her pregnancy to her students went far better than she could have ever expected. Jannah’s mouth opened in an “O” then she started laughing. She took Rey into a tight embrace. “This is all so new to me but if the Force wills it, then this baby is here for a reason,” she’d said. “I know you’re going to be a great mother.”

“Thank you, Jannah, this means so much to me.” Her other students embraced her as well, congratulating her, offering their support, and seeing it as a sign from the Force. Rey hadn’t gone into details on how the baby was conceived. She simply explained it as her dyad with martyr Ben Solo having the power of life itself, including the ability to conceive new life. She and the other Jedi students knew how the Skywalker family line came about, when the midichlorians conceived Anakin Skywalker with a mother only. If that was possible, then surely this miraculous pregnancy was possible too.

Once everyone left the dojo, Rey walked back to her quarters. She quietly meditated for a while, feeling Ben’s presence mixed in with the varied life on Ajan Kloss and the energies of the others on the Resistance base and her students. And of course, the baby. Oh, what a day this has been!

Suddenly the door slammed open, shattering Rey’s serenity. Instinctively she reached for her lightsaber, and turned to face the intruder. But it was Chewbacca, with Artoo Detoo and See Threepio following behind him. The Wookiee barked and gestured then seized Rey off of her meditation ottoman to pick her up in a hug.

“Chewbacca, do be careful, she is carrying a baby!” Threepio chastised as Artoo beeped and whistled.

Well, word gets around Ajan Kloss fast.

Chewbacca continued to howl and huff at her and she could tell he was perhaps miffed she didn’t tell him right away about the pregnancy. Threepio translated it as such. “I’m sorry,” Rey said, touching her chest. “It’s all been a whirlwind, today, But you’re going to be a fantastic uncle. I just know it.”

Chewie grinned, his sharp Wookiee teeth fully on display. Rey wondered if should she tell him the “cub” she’s carrying is Ben’s. How would he feel about it? Would he even understand it?

When the commotion died down and the Wookiee took his leave along with the droids, Rey sat back down on her ottoman and returned to her meditative state.

She breathed in and out, letting herself float along the energy field surrounding the universe. For what seemed like a long time, all was peaceful.

Then she heard the whispers. Her eyes opened and her sight was drawn to the amethyst pyramid she’d found at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. It glowed from within, calling to her.

Rey had tried to study it before but for some reason she hadn’t been able to access its power or make it work. She had set it aside, busy in the days since she’d found it. 

Rey got up from her ottoman and walked toward the shelf where the amethyst pyramid rested, its soft light still throbbing. She picked it up and held it in her palm. It felt warm.

Suddenly images flooded her mind. A tall female with a ghostly-white face and black eyes, and garbed in scarlet robes stood before her. “Who are you?” Rey challenged.

“Mother Talzin, leader of the Nightsisters.”

“Nightsisters? What are they? All of the Sith have been destroyed.”

“We are not Sith. We are witches, trained in the use of magic.” Talzin grinned at Rey. “You want to bring the one you love back from death, don’t you?”

Rey gaped at her, unable to deny it but not wanting to give anything away to this being, whatever she was. She may not be Sith but Rey felt the dark side radiating from the Nightsister.

“The Sith tried to find a way to live beyond death and ultimately, it failed, did it not?” Talzin smirked. “But the Nightsisters know the ways of dark magic, secrets the Sith did not know. We have mastered the art of necromancy and you have the power to use it to bring your soul twin back from the World Between Worlds.”

“Did your dark magic not save you?” Rey challenged, backing away.

“Does it matter? Perhaps I am only a manifestation of that magic, offering itself to you as a service.”

“I serve the light,” Rey insisted.

“You are light and dark, heiress of Palpatine,” Talzin said. “You keep searching for the secrets to bring back your man, the father of your unborn child. But you can’t find what you need in those Jedi texts or Guardian of the Whills lore. I have the answers you seek.”

Rey saw images of Ben lying beside her, rubbing his huge hand over her swollen belly. She saw him looking down at their baby for the first time, his brandy-brown eyes filling with tears of joy. She saw the three of them together, walking while holding their toddler in each hand, a child with her eyes and his hair…

It tore through Rey’s heart, the injustice of it all. Ben finally renouncing Kylo Ren and stopping at nothing to be by her side at Exegol, only for the cruelties of fate to force him to choose between her life and his. Naturally he chose her, because he was selfless and his love was boundless. But he shouldn’t have to have given his life for hers. He should be there with her, helping her forge a new path with the Jedi, bringing peace, healing, and balance to the galaxy. They should be welcoming this child together. They should raise a family together. They should grow old together. A dyad cannot be split apart! She wanted Ben back more than anything. She needed him back!

“Tell me what you know,” Rey demanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Rey. They tried to warn you!
> 
> Subscribe and comment! We're closing in on the end!


	20. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somebody has to be a jerk in this story and it might as well be Poe. Plus Rey has a lot to think about.

By the time Rey placed the amethyst pyramid back on the shelf, dawn was beginning to lighten the skies outside. Rey bit out a curse. She’d been up all night, absorbing the knowledge given to her and now she was very, very tired. She glanced at herself in a mirror above a storage container and she had dark circles beneath her bloodshot eyes. It recalled memories of seeing her dark side self on Kef Bir, her eyes dark and her face gaunt.

She shook her head. She was exhausted and needed to rest. Fortunately she had nothing planned for the morning but she had the guise of her pregnancy and morning sickness to stay away from everyone for a while. She had a lot to think about and she needed sleep. Rey collapsed atop her military issue bed and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

When her eyes fluttered open, the sun was high in the sky above the jungle. She went to the fresher, changed into fresh clothing, and went off to the mess in search of something to eat.

Rey felt she was still in a daze. It was too much, all too much. She stared ahead, her mind racing, as she ate and sipped tea. The Nightsister had revealed the entire ritual. She didn’t have to wait for another vergence that would allow her and Ben to be in the same realm. All she had to do was gather herbs that were easy enough to find, create a man made of mud, and on the night of a full moon, draw her own blood upon the mud man. Then she had to use the Force to tear aside the veil between life and death, pry open the World Between Worlds, seize Ben Solo, and transpose his soul into the mud. He would then transform into a living, breathing man again.

It was bizarre yet Rey felt that perhaps it just might…work. 

She sighed and shook her head. I’m a Jedi, not a witch. What am I thinking?

Leia had warned her. Even Ben had cautioned her.

Instinctively, her hand went to her belly. What am I going to do, little one? Once again, I feel so alone.

Then she heard familiar beeping. Rey broke her reverie to see BB-8 rolling toward her table, D-O anxiously trying to keep up with the orange and white droid. “BB-8!” Rey cried, a broad smile on her face as she got up to greet her little friend. She knelt on the floor to hug the droid and instinctively check his antenna. Miraculously, it was still straight. “Hello, D-O,” she greeted the small droid that followed BB-8 like a puppy.

BB-8’s presence was a sign that his master Poe Dameron was on Ajan Kloss as well. The droid seemed to indicate he wanted her to follow him back to Poe. “All right, I’ll come with you.” Well, this was going to be interesting. The question was did Poe already know about her pregnancy or will she have to break to him the news?

Rey, BB-8, and D-O left the mess and went to the base’s main offices. BB-8 led her to Poe’s office. The pilot had his boots up on the desk, his expression unreadable, his emotions closed to Rey. “Hey, thanks buddy,” Poe nodded to his beloved droid. “Would you mind letting me and Rey have a private conversation?”

The droid assented and with a few beeps and whistles, exited the office with D-O.

“So,” Poe said, swinging his legs off the desk, “what’s this about you being pregnant?” He leaned forward on the desk, his chin resting on his pressed fingertips.

“It’s true,” Rey said. “i’m just over a month along.” 

“Well,” Poe shrugged. “Congratulations.” 

“Thank you.” Rey and Poe had an interesting friendship. They were connected through Finn and BB-8 as well as by some of their shared adventures. But there were times they butted heads. Poe was headstrong, opinionated, a true believer in the Resistance, and sometimes reckless. He had matured somewhat but he still didn’t hold back what he really thought. Even though he was close to Leia, he was close to the Resistance leader and the former senator, not so much the woman who also had talents in the Force. He didn’t quite “get” it in spite of having two friends now gifted in the Force.

“Maybe it’s none of my business but I wasn’t aware you were seeing anyone,” Poe said.

“It’s something that happened in the Force,” Rey said.

Poe arched his eyebrow skeptically. “The Force got you pregnant?”

“Not exactly,” Rey said, her armpits tingling. “It was something the Force made possible.”

“I don’t follow,” Poe said. Rey suspected Poe wanted her to admit to something. He’d never press things this long unless he was trying to get something out of her. She sighed and looked down at her the tips of her boots.

“There had always been a connection between Ben Solo and me. It was how he was able to sacrifice his life for mine on Exegol. But our connection didn’t end when he passed into the Force. Together we had the power of life itself and that power has…given me new life.”

Poe nearly fell out of his chair, looking as though Rey threw a rattlesnake in his lap. “You mean to tell me Kylo Ren is the father of your baby??!! How?? You said he was dead!!!”

“He lives but in another plane of existence. And he is not Kylo Ren anymore. He turned away from the dark side and the First Order. We wouldn’t have won at Exegol without him. He saved my life,” Rey insisted. 

Poe got up from his chair and started pacing around, pulling at his hair, which Rey noticed was starting to gray here and there. “Yeah, that’s what Finn said. But I can’t wrap my head around it. Maybe he was good for five minutes but he killed Han Solo. He took you prisoner. Don’t you remember what he did to Finn? What he did to me? He killed so many of our friends!”

“But there was light in him. The brightest most powerful light you’d ever seen. Light his mother Leia saw too. Yes, for a while I thought that light was snuffed forever after he took over from Snoke. But it was still there and in the end, that light won. His last act was of selflessness…and love.”

Poe shook his head. “How could a monster like that love?”

“The light and dark aren’t so far apart. Their natures are in all of us. You and me included. I didn’t choose this connection with Ben and he didn’t choose it either. But we are two that are one, forever bound. Ben at his core was good and we understand each other in a way no one else could. I don’t expect you to understand or approve. But please, don’t take this out on me or on my baby. Finn understands. I hope one day you will too.”

“How are we going to reassure the galaxy that the Jedi have returned, this time for good, when its leader is pregnant by the dead Supreme Leader?” Poe threw up his hands. “It’s going to be a massive scandal! If you’re going to keep this baby, you have to keep it a secret! No one must know! It could ruin everything!”

Anger surged through Rey’s veins. “I am not ashamed of my child! And I’m not just a symbol for you or anyone else in the interim government to use!” She turned and flew out of the room, ignoring BB-8’s sad beeps as she stormed past him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my readers for your support! Also, a late thanks to Reylo Fic Recs on Twitter for recommending this story! We're in the home stretch. Be sure to subscribe to keep up with this tale as we come to the the exciting conclusion!


	21. Ritual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, is Rey going to go through with it???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am of the old school and as such, I do not like "trigger" warnings and normally would not post any. But if you're extremely sensitive about any kind of *attempted* bloodletting (which in this context is not meant as an attempt on one's life or as "cutting") you might want to scroll and roll after "Finally the last part of the ritual" and start again with "Rey, no!"

Rey stood in the clearing, the moonlight shining down on her.She had already fashioned a man-shaped mound of mud, one about as tall as Ben had been.Now she was going to scatter the herbs she’d gathered in the jungle over the mud man.She opened the pouch on her belt and fished out the greenery.She dropped them over the mound of earth, chanting the incarnation the Nightsister vision had taught her.

She wasn’t going to do this but her fight with Poe earlier that day had sealed the decision for her.Once she had Ben back, they will leave together and go somewhere, anywhere they could raise their child in peace. 

As for the Jedi…who knows?Maybe she will get her students to come with her.

One thing Rey knew for sure.As long as Rey was alone in this side of existence, she was always going to be feared, misunderstood, and expected to live up to something she could not.All on her own, even with friends or students.Nobody understood her, nobody knew her.Except for Ben.

Finally the last part of the ritual.Rey unsheathed a simple belt from her belt.She took a deep breath and exhaled through her mouth as she stared at the blade glistening in the moonlight.Her hand tipped the blade down and she held out her arm.

“Rey, no!”

Rey was so startled, she dropped the knife.“Ben?”she called out.It had been his distinctive deep voice.She whirled around in confusion, not seeing anyone else.

“Please, no don’t do this,” Ben pleaded.

“Ben, I can’t go on without you!This is the only way!”

“It’s not!”Ben insisted. 

“Then what am I going to do?”Tears streamed down Rey’s face.“I have been trying for months Ben to find a way to be with you and bring you back.And you, you just passively accept your fate!Why aren’t you fighting to be with me?”

“You don’t have any idea, Rey,” Ben said.“It was a victory just to be able to see you in these vergences or in your dreams.Or to even talk to you now.Have you forgotten that when most people die they stay dead?”

Rey knelt on the ground, openly weeping now.“Everyone in my life leaves me.My parents, my mentors, you.I’m trying to find fulfillment in reviving the Jedi, making them into something new.But I don’t think I was meant to do it all by myself.I always feel like something’s missing.And raising a child alone…a baby who will never have a father.” 

“What you’re about to do, it will not bring the results you want,” Ben said.“Or what I want.It’s not the Jedi way, my love.” 

A chill passed through Rey, as though an icy wind went through her body.Visions assaulted Rey.Instead of the nighttime jungle of Ajan Kloss, she was in a spacious chamber overlooking Coruscant’s nightline.The view screen was broken and wind whipped through the room.There stood Palpatine, Darth Sidious himself.Kneeling before him was a young man with hair the color of Jakku sand.“Just help me save Padmé’s life,” the young man begged.“I can’t live without her.”

Then she saw the hellish landscape of a volcanic planet as the same young man angrily choked a young pregnant woman using the Force, his hand held out toward her.

Finally, she saw the young woman, dead, lying in a casket in a sea of flowers and fabric…and the tall breathing nightmare that was Darth Vader.

She saw herself tearing aside the veil between the world of the living and the World Between Worlds, a cosmic scream of pain that shook her to her core.Ahsoka Tano stood pleading with Rey not to do this, to turn back now.Rey saw Ben and seized him by the arm, ignoring his cries.He vanished into the mud man.

Then Ben appeared before her, a shade rather than a full man, his arms and legs bound in chains.He looked at her in anguish, tears streaming down his face.“Look at what you’ve done.Why, Rey, why?”

The vision ended and clouds had obscured the moonlight.Droplets of rain started tp fall on her.“No, it’s not the Jedi way,”she whimpered.Shame washed over her, anger at herself for nearly slipping and causing irreparable harm not only to Ben but to the universe.

“Rey, it’s all right.You made the right choice.Forgive yourself and trust in the Force,” Ben’s voice said.

Rey nodded.She picked up the knife and put it back in her belt.She left the clearing and used her lightsaber as a beacon to return to the base.

“Hey, it’s her!Rey!”Finn called out to her.He ran forward along with Jannah, Rose, BB-8, and Poe.Rey ran toward them, the rain starting to fall harder.Soon she embraced her friends.

“We were so worried about you,” Rose said.

“I’m all right,” Rey said.“If not a bit soaked.I’m sorry I made you all worry for me.” 

Poe gently took Rey by the shoulders.“I’m really, really sorry for being a jerk.I’m behind you 100% of the way.”

“Thank you, Poe,” Rey said, smiling at the pilot.

The group of friends made their way back to shelter, out of the rain.


	22. Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey figures it out. Finally.

“Oof!” Rey reached for her swollen belly. The child within her was an active one, tumbling all over the place, pushing, and kicking. She—for Rey now knew it was a daughter--was eager to be born and make her own mark on the galaxy. Ben found it all amusing but the baby wasn’t waking him up in the middle of the night with a sharp kick.

“Are you okay?” her student Yonna asked, lowering her lightsaber. The Mirialan girl was practicing her forms while traveling with Rey to Chandrila. They had been in Hanna City but they were now at a remote cottage not far from the ocean. Chewbacca was napping inside the cottage.

“I’m all right,” Rey said, patting her belly. “The baby’s moving again. Nice job against the remotes. I can’t tell you how many times those bastards zapped me.”

Yonna laughed. In more ways that one, Rey was an unconventional teacher.

Rey was seven months along now and so far, she and the baby had hit all of the milestones with no trouble. The morning sickness had thankfully faded away but there were many changes to her body: marks where there hadn’t been any before, swelling in her breasts and ankles, the pressure on her lower back, the need to pee a lot, and of course the odd food cravings. She’d taken the Falcon to Batuu just to get some ronto wraps and frozen blue Bantha milk.

The other thing was, much to her shock, she was sometimes ravenous for sex. 

The last vergence with Ben had been ten days beforehand—why Rey had journeyed to his homeworld—and it just so happened her hormones had kicked in full. She could not get enough of him, riding him first like a wild beast. When he regained his strength, it was his turn to claim her like a beast on all fours, his hand caressing her in ways that made her explode with ecstasy. She swore their cries must’ve echoed throughout the World Between Worlds. Then they’d lain together, tenderly touching each other intimately before Ben rolled her on her side and spooned into her, softly rocking into her. 

He’d worshiped every inch of her body, resting his cheek on her swollen belly, kissing it, caressing it with his hands. “Hello, my sweet baby girl,” he’d whispered.

When Rey was sated at last, they held each other in an exhausted heap. 

The memories touched Rey’s heart and made her blush. She was relieved her student was looking away at the moment, desperately fighting off remote blasts and trying to keep to form at the same time.

Still, bringing Ben back to Rey haunted her. 

The Dark Side and magic spells weren’t the way. Maybe, Rey mused, the problem is I’ve been looking for answers outside of myself. 

When Yonna finished her lessons, Rey decided to find a quiet place to meditate. She chose a spot far from the remote cottage, on a cliff overlooking the sea. The warm breeze whipped around her. The blue ocean was dotted with slow moving boats. It was a very peaceful scene. She closed her eyes and with her baby’s presence, she reached out into the vast resources of the Force.

As she did so, all of the charts she’d spent time creating materialized in her mind’s eye, coming together like a puzzle. Then she remembered what the Guardian Shinme’i told her, that all was energy and energy is everywhere, unable to be destroyed but to be transformed.

A great cosmic display built around her. She saw that Ben’s energy was indeed everywhere but it could be focused by one thing: love.

There are many words for it in the galaxy, but Rey discovered a universal term for it, a word created by the Whills themselves at the beginning of time and existence. The word spelled itself across the cosmic chart, then it ended in a golden tendril that snaked toward Rey and entered her belly.

That was the answer.

The locus was their child, a child miraculously conceived by the first Force dyad in generations, created by a love that conquered death itself. Rey wasn’t sure how the baby was going to help bring Ben back but indeed, the answer was literally within her all along.

“Tell me, little one, where do I go?” Rey found her child’s presence, bright and glowing. The baby was dreaming, dreaming of an island on an ocean. Just as Rey had done once upon a time.

Of course.

Where else would it be other than where Rey had faced herself, where she had first connected with Ben, where her studies in the ways of the Force began?

She would have to go to Ahch-To. She reached out in this mysterious dimension and felt Ben’s presence too. “Will you be there, Ben?” she asked.

“Yes, of course.” His voice echoed across the stars.

Rey slowly drew out of her meditative state and practically leapt with joy—in spite of her pregnancy—on the pathway back to the cottage. She burst inside and told Yonna and Chewbacca, “I must make a pilgrimage to Ahch-To. Alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are in the closing stretch! Only three-ish more chapters to go before it's all over! Don't miss an update! Subscribe now! Leave some comments and if you like this story, recommend it to your friends!
> 
> Thanks to Reylo Fic Source on Twitter for helping out!


	23. Ain't No Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all comes to a head here, folks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you, Love Is Stronger Than Death scored over 5000 hits. I'm not well-known in Reyloville and I wouldn't know anything about "marketing" a fan fic, so I'm glad you all managed to find your way here.

The island caretakers looked up from their duties and groaned when they saw the unusually-shaped disc-like ship glisten in the bright blue sky, descending to land. The porgs scattered around them didn’t seem to pay mind to any of it. But it was because they were unaware every time that ship appeared—or more accurately every time its pilot appeared—some destruction was sure to follow. The last time she visited Ahch-To, she burned an entire starfighter, leaving a twisted hunk of metal smoldering for days, impurities polluting the air. It had burned the grass too and had it been a warm, dry, windy day the entire island would’ve been engulfed in flames.

The caretakers had always muttered to themselves, “Why couldn’t this Jedi girl be like the old man?” At least he had not been destructive. He took good care of the grounds, he respected the ecosystem, he lived in symbiotic harmony with the caretakers, and most importantly, he kept largely to himself. Sadly he had passed away and the caretakers took custody of whatever few possessions were left, preserving them for posterity.

When they saw the girl waddle off the ship’s ramp, her belly swollen, they were even more crestfallen. Not only had she returned, she was with child. Another one like herself, no doubt. And she was alone. Where was the father? The caretakers swept the ancient stone pathways and speculated who had fathered this wayward girl’s child. Perhaps the girl barely knew the baby’s father. Typical. Unsurprising. 

One of the caretakers said she had heard the girl speaking to a man once, not the old man either. But the caretaker couldn’t see the man. Perhaps he was the one who had impregnated the girl. Somehow the girl had sneaked in a man she was trysting with between her lessons. The caretakers chortled. 

The girl walked past the caretakers with an awkward but friendly greeting then headed toward the Jedi temple. Crazy girl. The caretakers hoped her visit would be short and she didn’t destroy much this time.

***

Rey entered the temple building, daylight shining down through an open skylight in its roof, illuminating the Prime Jedi fresco at the bottom of a shallow pool on the ground. She knelt down on the rough hewn rock and reached into the now-dry pool, tracing her finger on the fresco tiles. Rey meditated on the image, half-light, half-dark. In ancient days, there was no dark side or light side. Simply Ashla and Bogan, two aspects of the same Force that bound the universe. They were unified. They were one.

Just as she and Ben are one. Just as light and dark lived in both of them. They key was balance. It was the way the galaxy had been once and the way it needed to be again for things to be whole and complete.

The baby moved in Rey’s belly and Rey gently caressed her stomach. “Soon, little one. The portal will open and we’ll find Daddy again.”

Rey moved into a sitting lotus position on the rock floor and closed her eyes. The vergence was here and soon the veil between Ahch-To and the World Between Worlds will fall away. And then…? She didn’t know but now in this moment, she had to trust the Force.

Rey slowly opened her eyes and a blue butterfly flitted about the temple chamber, then a morai followed. The butterfly and the owl-like bird flew out of the skylight above Rey. Then the room went dark. Stars appeared in the void and all in the temple was obscured except for the Prime Jedi fresco. The fresco then started to glow. The baby kicked inside Rey.

Instead of getting up and walking into the cosmos as Rey had done in the past, she remained where she was. The baby moved again then went still. Rey felt a surge of energy coming from her belly. The baby was expanding its own consciousness into the Force, creating a ball of brilliant golden light. Rey watched in amazement as the light surrounded her. A door slid open before her and out stepped five humanoid beings, all clad in black. They were not human like Rey; they had white faces with dark markings and glowing green eyes. They each had different facial expressions that never changed. One looked happy, one looked sad, one looked angry, one looked serene, and one looked confused. 

They floated rather than walked toward Rey. “Greetings, young Jedi.”

“Who are you?” Rey asked.

“We are priestesses of the Force,” the confused one said in a quiet, feminine voice. “We live in the Wellspring of Life.”

“Are you the Whills?” she asked.

“We all are and so are you. Everyone and everything that has ever lived,” the angry-looking priestess explained. “The living are vessels for the Whills, using the midichlorians in the body as a conduit, as a means of communication. There they express their desires for us and if need be, create destinies.”

“They are the Force itself, generating it through us all and feeding off of it,” the confused priestess added.

“If the Whills could create destinies for people, what destiny did it create for me and for my dyad, Ben Solo? If we’re meant to be together, why did he die and go to the World Between Worlds? After everything he’s been through, all that he has suffered and has made others suffer, after what he did for me, why? Why am I always being left alone?”

The sad-looking priestess knelt close to Rey. “When the Whills choose those to fulfill great destinies, often suffering follows. Why that is, we don’t know. It always works though toward keeping what the universe needs, balance.”

The happy-looking priestess also knelt next to Rey. “But as you have learned young one, whatever destiny takes, destiny also gives back.” She pointed to Rey’s belly. “The power of your dyad is mighty indeed and whatever happened that day on Exegol was not the last chapter of its story.”

The serene priestess stepped closer. “Ben Solo could not pass on to the netherworld with his family because his soul is tied to yours and you still live. So he has learned many lessons, confronted the sins of his past, and now the power of the life he conceived calls him back. This little one will need him to fulfill her own mission.” She pointed at the fresco. “The Prime Jedi has returned.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “My daughter is the new Prime Jedi?”

“Anakin Skywalker’s mission is at last complete,” the happy priestess said. “The Whills have brought the dyad together, even across death, to create new life. And now the Prime Jedi can lead the galaxy into a new age.”

“Come forth Ben Solo, and be reborn!” the serene priestess called.

Scattered lights flickered in the doorway, coming together and forming the shape of a man. Rey gasped at Ben Solo’s form taking shape before her eyes until he was as solid as she was. He was as naked as a newborn. He looked astonished and Rey sensed he was afraid to move forward.

“Don’t be afraid, Ben,” Rey said. “I love you. Your baby loves you.” She reached out her hand.

In her mind’s eye, she saw a little girl, hair dark like her father’s, eyes like her own, reaching toward the door, the purest form of love emanating from her. The little girl nodded at Ben. “Focus on us,” the child said.

He gaped in amazement, then he glanced behind him. Rey glimpsed a Togruta woman decked all in white nod at Ben, a reassuring smile on her lips. He nervously took a deep breath then stepped forward through the doorway. He reached toward Rey’s outstretched hand, inching closer and closer. Memories flooded Rey’s mind. The night they touched hands in the hut here on Ahch-To. Kylo Ren reaching for her hand on the Supremacy and again on the Steadfast. Rey healing Kylo Ren on Kef Bir and confessing she’d wanted to take Ben’s hand. Holding Ben’s hand as his life faded away and he vanished.

And now, his warm hand, in full flesh, touched hers. They locked gazes and tears started flowing from their eyes. In Rey’s vision, the little girl beamed. Feeling braver, Rey pulled on Ben’s hand and he lurched forward, into Rey’s waiting arms. The cosmos faded away, the priestesses vanished, and there was nothing but the temple, and a naked Ben Solo—alive and breathing—in Rey’s embrace. They held each other for what seemed an eternity, sobbing. Rey felt the warmth of his body, his heartbeat on her chest, his breath on her neck, and the soft smell of flowers in his silken hair. He was real and alive. “Ben, my darling Ben,” Rey sighed, smiling with joy.

“My beautiful Rey. You never gave up on me,” Ben whispered. “And my sweet little angel,” he said, resting his hand on Rey’s belly.

He clutched onto her as though he could scarcely believe she was in his arms again, never to be separated. His lips found hers and they kissed passionately.

After the long tender reunion, Rey removed her cloak and wrapped it around Ben’s waist for it was too small to wear over his head. He stood, his legs wobbling, and he leaned on Rey. She helped him walk out of the temple, back toward the Falcon. They passed the caretakers and they stared in amazement at the crazy girl wandering off with a naked man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben is back, baby! My story might not make a whole lot of sense but at least I'm giving the people what they want!
> 
> The Force Priestesses appeared in one of the "lost missions" from The Clone Wars Season Six. Yoda encounters them and learns the secret of immortality.
> 
> "Ashla" and "Bogan" were George Lucas's original terms for the light and dark sides of the Force. Fun fact: they originally considered naming Ahsoka Tano "Ashla." 
> 
> A couple of years ago, Lucas told James Cameron that his plan for the sequel trilogy was to focus on the mysterious Whills. Unfortunately the movies didn't address this so I did, ha ha! A few details here come from Lucas's statements to Cameron.
> 
> So, there are only TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! Actually a chapter and an epilogue. Don't miss the conclusion to Love Is Stronger Than Death! Subscribe!


	24. Birth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the baby!

The fledgling new Jedi Order had been summoned to Ahch-To. Chewbacca, Poe Dameron, Artoo, Threepio, BB-8, and D-0 came along. They all assembled in the Jedi temple, wondering what Rey was about to tell them.

The young pregnant woman appeared from the shadows of the temple, accompanied by a shocking sight: a tall young man with tousled shoulder-length dark hair, dressed in a rough-hewn dark tunic with a small hole in the side and pants. Finn’s mouth dropped open in an “O.” 

“I can’t believe it,” Poe stammered.

Rey and Ben Solo walked to the pool with the Prime Jedi mosaic and then turned to face the others. Rey’s expression was serene while Ben had a faraway look in his eyes, as though he could see far beyond the physical environment he was inhabiting.

“I called you all here today because we are in an extraordinary moment,” Rey began. With Ben beside her, she felt more confident than ever. He glanced at her with an encouraging nod. “Ben Solo gave his life for mine at the Battle of Exegol. I thought I had lost him forever. But I didn’t lose him; he is my dyad and we cannot be kept apart, not even by death. So he did not die. He has returned from the World Between Worlds though the power of love alone. Because that is truly what the Jedi are all about: selflessness and love in its purest form. 

“And it is love that created this new life inside of me. A life that not even death could prevent. With the Sith gone forever, Ben and I were chosen not only to restore the galaxy but to bring forth a new age. One that begins with the return of the Prime Jedi, the first of our kind who built this temple millennia ago. She will be born soon in a place of her choosing.” Rey gently touched her belly.

“We will teach the galaxy the Force is in us all and if we only listen, we can find that Force. We can balance our light side with our dark side. While not all are called to serve the Force as the Jedi do, the Force plays a role in all of our lives. For every living thing creates it and sustains it,” Rey said. 

Ben finally spoke. “Rey and I will embark on a special mission: healing the galaxy from the wounds of war. Not just on a physical level but on a spiritual level as well. The first step I must take is to express to all of you my deepest remorse and regret for the things I did as Kylo Ren. I’ve made my peace with those who have passed at my hand, those I’ve hurt. Now I must do the same with the living as my soul work continues. I cannot change the past. But I am not that monster anymore and I will work the rest of my days to uphold the ideals my family embraced: service, sacrifice, and selflessness.”

Chewbacca let out a howl that reverberated though the cavern-like temple. He stomped forward toward Ben Solo, his emotions not quite clear. Ben Solo froze, concern in his eyes. He couldn’t read the Wookiee emotionally either. Then he swallowed hard enough for everyone to notice his adam’s apple bobbing and he dropped to his knees, making an unusual gesture with his arms and hands. He added some guttural sounds from deep in his throat that only Threepio and Chewbacca understood.

“Oh, that is a Wookiee gesture of remorse and begging the aggrieved party for forgiveness,” the droid said to no one in particular.

Chewbacca bent forward toward Ben and seized him in his massive arms. For a moment, everyone wondered if the Wookiee would tear the man apart but instead, Chewbacca embraced him. Tears flowed from their eyes. Rey started crying herself, especially when Chewbacca pulled her into the embrace. 

When Chewbacca released Ben, he turned to find Finn standing before him. Rey looked on apprehensively. The former stormtrooper cleared his throat. “I want to thank you for saving Rey,” Finn said. 

Ben nodded. “I’m sorry that I’ve done such harm to you. You’re a good man and Rey cares about you so much.” He turned to see Poe Dameron, staring him down.

“It won’t be easy for me to forgive and forget,” Poe said. “But I believe in the Force and I respected your mother more than you could ever know. If you’re here, it’s for a reason. But if you hurt Rey…”

“It’ll never happen,” Ben vowed. “But message received.” Poe nodded in response.

Rey sighed with relief. It was only the beginning and she didn’t expect her friends to cheerfully embrace Ben. It will take time to prove himself to her friends and time for her friends to accept Ben Solo as a different man from Kylo Ren. She must be patient and trust in the Force but in this moment, she had hope.

***

Rey gazed upon Ben Solo’s sleeping form. She observed his chest rising and falling with his breath, his pursed full lips that were slightly open, his eyes moving beneath his closed eyelids, the profile of his long but perfectly-shaped nose, the soft jawline and slightly receding chin, the dark stubble growing on his face, the constellation of beauty marks on his fair skin, the mass of thick black hair spread on the pillow. Rey vowed never to take this view for granted again, a view she knew she would see next to her every day for the rest of their lives together.

Then she gently shook him awake. His long dark eyelashes fluttered open, his brown eyes adjusting to the morning light. “Ben,” Rey said, “the water broke and the contractions are less than five minutes apart. It’s time.”

“What?!” Ben shot up from the bed and bounded into action, quickly pulling on his pants and throwing over his head the first tunic he found draped on a chair. Rey laughed, her husband anxiously scrambling for his boots and the bag they pre-packed for this day. Then another contraction hit and she muttered an “ow.”

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Ben cried, strapping on his holster with a blaster and the new lightsaber he’d recently constructed. Rey wondered what he was going to do with weapons in a delivery room.

“I’m ready,” Rey said. Ben helped Rey out of the cottage and down the steps to a waiting speeder. Ben assisted Rey aboard the vessel and threw in the bag before hopping into the pilot’s seat and taking off at full speed across a lake and up rolling grass hills

It was the Prime Jedi’s will to be born on Naboo. For Rey and Ben, it made sense. A world where they both had roots and where their entwined destinies were set into motion decades ago. It was the closing of a circle. An ending and a beginning. Rey and Ben had retreated to a simple cottage in the lake country instead of Ben’s ancestral home of Varykino, now a museum. She wanted to give birth at the cottage with the assistance of a med droid and a doula, but Ben—nervous first-time father—insisted on a medical facility. 

Waiting at the facility was the Resistance’s medical droid that had treated Rey since the beginning of her pregnancy. The couple was instructed to sit and wait as the delivery room was prepared.

“Rey, before we go into the delivery room, there’s something I want to say,” Ben said, stroking Rey’s hair.

‘What is it?”

“I wanted to thank you, for everything,” he said, his brown eyes glistening. “You saved me. More than once and in more ways than you can ever know.”

“Ben, I haven’t always done or said the right things to you…” Rey began but Ben put a finger on her lips.

“Kylo Ren didn’t exactly inspire the best in people,” Ben said with a sad smile. “Listen, Rey. You told me I wasn’t alone and you always acted on that. Just as I never abandoned you, you never gave up on me. And now you’re bringing my daughter into the world.”

“Gladly,” Rey said. 

“I will be with you the whole process. We will get through this together.”

“I know,” Rey said, kissing Ben.

He was good to his word, holding Rey and comforting her as she pushed and pushed though the pains of labor, adding his strength to hers. Finally, the med droid produced a squealing little red bundle of humanity, her black hair matted to her skull. “It’s a girl,” the droid announced.

“Oh, let me hold her,” a sweating Rey said, leaning up to see the baby in spite of her exhaustion. Soon the baby—the Prime Jedi reborn—was cradled in the crook of Rey’s arm. “She’s beautiful,” Rey wept, marveling at the girl’s tiny fists and kicking feet. 

“She is,” Ben said, pressing his lips on Rey’s forehead. He wiped back his own tears as he tenderly touched his little girl’s face. “So strong in the Force too.”

“Yes, I can feel it from her already,” Rey agreed. 

“I’m sorry about the ears,” Ben said to the baby with a lopsided smile.

“What’s wrong with the ears?” the med droid said. “All functions should be working perfectly.”

“Never mind,” Ben sighed.

“Her ears are fine,” Rey said. “They’re perfect, like yours.”

“What about a name?” Ben asked.

They both meditated on the Force, finding the letters forming in their minds to spell out a name. Ben and Rey looked at each other and nodded.

“Shayna Solo you are,” Rey said to her newborn child. The baby, her eyes still tightly shut, squalled again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER (an epilogue)! Don't miss the incredibly sentimental but cheerful ending to "Love Is Stronger Than Death!"


	25. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the end, beautiful friend...

Artagan was a mid-rim world devastated by the war against the First Order.Its ecosystem was permanently damaged, leaving land unsuitable for farming, water that was dangerous to drink, and the ruins of crashed starships and destroyers littering the desolate landscape.Most left the world but those who couldn’t leave faced malnutrition and disease. 

The few survivors left watched with wide eyes a disc-shaped ship emerged from steel gray skies and land not far from what had once been a thriving spaceport town.Was it an aid society leaving much needed food?An offer to take the people off world?

The ship’s landing ramp lowered and a young brunette woman with an infant wrapped to her chest exited the ship alongside a tall, imposing young man with black hair.Both in were in robes that somewhat resembled the Jedi robes of lore.Those a little closer to the visitors could see the lightsabers hanging at their sides.Indeed they were Jedi.Could it be…them?The powerful Force dyad spoken about in whispers throughout the galaxy? 

The woman, who had gone from a scavenger on a backwater world to the last Jedi?The man, said to be the long-missing son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, who had supposedly returned from the dead?It seemed incredible that powerful legends would come to this world, a wasteland, a poor dying place.Surely, it had to be someone else, not _them_.

Then others exited the ship behind the couple:more humans, including a young boy, and other peoples in Jedi robes.Then there was a Twi’lek woman leading another group in lighter tunics.This group had staffs instead of lightsabers.

A couple of the survivors nudged each other.That Jedi next to the tall woman with full, curly hair had to be Finn, one of the heroes of the Resistance.Who knew he too was gifted with the Force?

Everyone’s attention moved again to the dyad and the baby.Given the infant’s black hair, the child had to be that of the couple.Without a word, both of them knelt on the ground and they reached their fingers into the earth.Their eyes closed.Then the others who arrived with them knelt on the ground and did the same.The baby reached out with a tiny hand.

Energy hummed through the air and from the ground.It enveloped everyone and everything.And then grass started growing out of the ground.Trees and flowers sprung up.The acrid smoke was replaced with fresh air.The wrecks littering the land transformed into their original natural elements, falling away.Birds starting singing again.What they witnessed was nothing short of a miracle.

“What happened?”one of the survivors cried.The other survivors looked around in disbelief.

The young woman with the baby said, “We used the Force to restore your home.”

“And if you are in touch with the Force within yourselves and all around you, you can heal from the wounds of war too,” the man said.

“We’ll teach you,” the woman added.“The Jedi and the Guardian of the Whills will share their collected wisdom with you all.”

An older woman came forward.“Is it true?Are you Rey of Jakku and Ben Solo?”she asked in a shaking voice of awe and nervousness.

“We are,” Rey said with a warm smile, leaning into Ben.He put his arm around her shoulders and the babylooked up at them with a wide toothless grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks!
> 
> The mythical references were very subtle; I was largely inspired by the Egyptian myth of Isis seeking out the dismembered parts of her husband Osiris, putting him back together, and conceiving a son Horus. I was also inspired by the Chinese tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, where the couple is separated until a bridge of magpies reunites them once a year (celebrated in various festivals in Asia, such as Tanabata in Japan).
> 
> The Twin Peaks inspirations were also really subtle but they're there!
> 
> Thanks for coming along this ride. I posted the first chapter in a different world and here's to hoping for the HEA our characters got. I appreciate all of my readers and I hope that if you like this story, you'll rec it to your friends!
> 
> Coming up: an E-rated canonverse one-shot and an AU called "The Lost Princess." It's London 1921 and a young woman comes forward with shocking news: she is Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the last of the Romanovs. She is an imposter but will that make any difference to the Duke in exile Anastasia was betrothed to, Ben Solovich?


End file.
